Crimson Azure
by Rising Lorn
Summary: On the road to Ikaruga, the Grim Reaper and the Eye of the Azure meet. Together, they walk a path fraught with uncertainty that neatly mirrors their own. As the road stretches forward, the two must come to terms with the emotions they shelved.
1. Said the Reaper to the Eye

**Author's Notes: The story takes place after the events of Continuum Shift, on the long road to Ikaruga.**

**

* * *

**

Crimson Azure

_ The sharp pain I was feeling before is gone now. It's dulled out, and something is washing over it...pleasure. This is actually really…nice. I can feel him sliding in and out of me. It feels like little tendrils of tingly electricity are winding around my body. Is this what making love feels like? I can feel my hair sticking to my face. A hand brushes it away. I open my eyes and look away immediately. I can feel my face burning. He was staring straight at me…with those eyes._

_ Heterochrome._

_

* * *

_

_I'm lost and panicking. This is bad; I can't be lost in this forest. I keep crying out for Makoto and Tager, but there's no response. I can feel tears running down my face. Isn't anyone out there? Anyone at all? Suddenly, I hear some rustling nearby. I fall backwards in fright and stare at the source of the sound. I'm going to die._

"What the hell? You, of all people?" says a voice. Spiky silver hair poked out of a bush, followed by the red-jacketed body and face of Ragna the Bloodedge. "Oh great," he moaned, "It's you."

"I-I'm lost," cried Noel, "I can't find Makoto or Tager."

"What the hell were you doing with them anyway?" asked Ragna.

"We were on our way to Ikaruga," explained Noel, "But I got separated from them when the path started twisting through the trees."

** Great. She's going to Ikaruga too. Fan-fucking-tastic. I don't need **_**another**_** damn thing to worry about. Well, she seems to just gravitate towards me, so it can't be helped. I guess I can't tell her to shove off. Damn. Alright, fine, just this once, I'll let her follow me. Until we find Tager and Makoto, anyway; then, I'm getting as far away as possible.**

With a heavy sigh, Ragna rolled his eyes and tried to calm her, "Hey, stop crying will you? I lost track of Tao, but that's hardly a reason to start with this waterworks shit." Noel nodded feebly and wiped her eyes; she mumbled an apology. "And don't apologize for everything. God, this is just like last time," muttered Ragna, "Come on, let's go find the Red Devil." Noel sniffed and mumbled her thanks.

_I can't believe he actually offered to let me come along with him. Maybe he's changed. I want to ask him how he's doing…what he's going to Ikaruga for… Actually, I think the most pressing question I have for him is…_

"Why are you being nice to me?" asked Noel. She covered her mouth immediately and blushed a brilliant crimson. The question hadn't formed in her mind so much as formed on her tongue.

Ragna looked at her, an eyebrow raised. "Look, if you want to wander around this forest alone and figure out how to get to Ikaruga by yourself, then let me know. God knows it'd be much less of a pain in the ass for me if you did that," he said sharply. He pointed to a dark path in the forest. "If you want to get out alone, you're free to go. Trust me, I won't stop you." Noel looked on the verge of tears again. She shook her head repeatedly and spoke no more. Ragna sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Just keep up and there won't be any problems. I won't hesitate to leave you behind," he said more evenly, "Alright?" Noel nodded sadly. The two walked in silence for the next hour, with only the sound of their dampened footfalls sounding out into the forest around them. Ragna held his arm out in front of Noel, and she quickly bumped right into. Confused, she looked wildly around.

_What happened? Is there someone around? Should I summon Bolverk? No, wait, Ragna doesn't look tense or anything. He's actually pretty calm. Hmm, this is kind of like a romance story; some helpless girl gets saved by her hero and they fall in lo- OH! What am I thinking? That wouldn't happen in real life. ESPECIALLY if Ragna's the hero. Well, maybe…I mean, he did save me from being…that…thing. Oh God…just thinking about it makes me feel sick._

"Hey! Stupid! You awake or what?" called Ragna from some place far away. Noel perked up immediately and looked about. Ragna was standing right next to her. "Uh, right here Noel. I haven't moved. I said we should call it a day. Were you listening at all?" he asked, annoyance flitting across his face.

"Um, no…sorry, I just got lost in some thoughts about…um…" mumbled Noel. She looked on the verge of tears again.

"What the hell are you gonna cry about now? We're not lost. I know where we're going. I've travelled on foot enough to know how to get around," said Ragna almost defensively.

"No, it's not that…I was just thinking about what's happened…" she responded.

With another great sigh, Ragna turned Noel to face him proper. "Look, stop dwelling on it, alright? Everyone's got shit wrong with them, but at the very least, you're fine now. I don't have my real arms anymore, and you don't see me crying," he said sternly, "It won't help you at all if you keep dwelling on what's happened; you'll just keep sliding back into sadness." Noel stared into Ragna's face for a second before dropping her gaze and nodding in a morose sort of way.

**Ugh, I hope we find Tager and Makoto soon. I can't imagine what I'll do to endure the entire trip to Ikaruga with just her and her bad memories for company. At least Tao was cheery.**

"You're right," she said quietly, "I need to cheer up, or else I'll never get over this." With significantly more strength in her voice, she said, "Alright, if we're going to stop for the day, we need to set up camp and find some food."

Ragna looked away. "I don't set up camp Noel. I just sleep on the ground," he said; he was trying his best not to smirk, as the thought of Noel roughing it was somewhat humorous.

With a rather shocked expression, Noel said, "Wh-what? You didn't pack anything? At all?"

"Did you?" asked Ragna smugly.

"Well, no…Tager was carrying what we needed; it wasn't much, just a tent and some canned food until we found a town to buy more food from," she said defensively.

"Then you'll get your first taste of what it's like to be the Grim Reaper today," he responded, "It's not glamorous, it's not fun, and if you feel something crawling on you, leave it alone, because you're better off not disturbing it."

_ BUGS! Oh God! Oh God! Nononononono! Anything but bugs!_

"Aaaagh, don't you have a blanket or something? Anything at all?" squealed Noel.

"Nope. My jacket is usually enough. If it's cold, well then, sucks to be me," he said. With that, he walked a few feet over to a patch of ground covered with a thin bed of leaves and plopped onto his back. With a smug smile, he put his arms behind his head and closed his eyes. "Well, good night stupid," he said snidely.

Noel looked around for a similar patch of leaves, but all she could find was cold, hard ground. After wandering around, she realized that she couldn't see Ragna. Panicking, she sprinted randomly into the forest and stumbled upon him. Literally.

"OUCH! WHAT THE FUCK NOEL?" shouted Ragna sitting bolt upright. She was lying spread-eagled on the ground face-first. "What the hell do you think you're…" He stopped and stared directly at Noel's lying form. His mouth dropped open.

**WHY DON'T YOU WEAR PANTIES? WHAT THE FUCK. WHAT THE FUCK. .**

Ragna looked determinedly away and mumbled angrily, "What just happened?" From behind he heard her getting up. He could feel his face growing very hot. He hazarded a glance and looked back almost immediately; full moon was still out.

"Ouch," cried Noel, "I wandered off too far looking for a patch of leaves to sleep on, but then I found out I walked a little too far so I panicked and ran where I thought camp was…and…I'm sorry." She inclined her head; her body was covered in dust, dirt and debris. Ragna still didn't face her; he had no idea how much light was playing on his face, but he couldn't risk Noel seeing his reaction to a rather…unusual revelation. She dusted herself off and wrung her hands. "C-can I share this spot with you?" she asked timidly.

Ragna laid flat on his back and rolled off the patch of leaves. "Take it. Don't wander off, because I won't go looking for you. Good night," he said abruptly.

**Did you really have to ask me that? Jeez, I know what I'm dreaming about tonight now.**

With a small muttering of thanks, Noel laid down. She rolled around on the spot, trying to get comfortable and finally realized her beret was keeping her from this goal. She took it off and rolled it up into a small pillow. After a few more minutes of rolling about in search of a comfortable sleeping position, Noel stopped, staring at Ragna's back. Her hair was everywhere, and her attempts to blow it out of her face did little but make it flutter lazily. With a small pout, she brushed it aside and laid there.

_He'll kill me if I do that! Ohhh, but I'm scared of the woods. And the bugs. Maybe if I check to see if he's asleep, then wake up early so I can pretend that nothing happened!_

"Rag…na?" said Noel quietly. She winced when he saw him shuffle slightly and grunt. After a few moments of trepidation, she inched closer to him. He was snoring quietly.

_I guess he is asleep…Oh man, please don't wake up._

Tentatively, she rested her face against his back. He twitched once and then shuffled again before continuing to snore softly. Noel breathed a sigh of relief and nuzzled her face against his back. She clutched her hands together next to her chest to keep them warm. "Thank you, Ragna," she whispered.

* * *

Ragna awoke fairly early next morning and almost sneezed; something was bothering his nose. It smelled vaguely like flowers.

**The hell? I didn't go to bed in a field of flowers. Not unless I managed to sleep walk into one.**

He opened his eyes and looked blearily down at what was bothering his nose. It was blonde hair. He brushed it aside and closed his eyes again. Then, he tore them open so quickly it hurt.

**That's Noel! What the hell is she doing?**

Ragna focused his eyes down on Noel. Evidently, she had fallen asleep against his chest last night.

**What the hell is she playing at? Was it that cold last night or something? Hmph. Or something. Wait. No. No way. Noooo way. Just roll away and pretend this little scene never happened. Wait…what the hell? Why can't I move? What's this thing on my back? Oh God damn it. Her arm. She put her arm around me at some point. Damn it, let go of me Noel!**

Noel stirred and opened her eyes slowly. She yawned and focused on what she was nuzzled against. Black. White stripes. She blinked, looked up and immediately blushed a brilliant scarlet. Ragna was staring down at her, and his expression shouted but one thought: I am not pleased. "Agh!" she squealed when her voice seemed to force itself to work again, "Oh God, I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" She let go of the back of his jacket which she must have clutched at one point in the night, scooted back several inches and sat up nervously.

"You mind telling me what exactly it was you were doing sleeping on my chest?" asked Ragna in a dangerously low tone.

Noel twisted her beret nervously in her hands. "I didn't fall asleep on your chest!" she said, "I fell asleep on your back last night! I was…scared and cold. I was hoping I'd wake up and move before you did so you wouldn't know but…" She shifted guilty on the spot.

"Yeah, I can guess the rest: you were too stupid to remember you don't wake up without an alarm clock or something?" muttered Ragna through clenched teeth. Noel averted her eyes and looked down at her beret. She mumbled a string of apologies. This only exacerbated the problem. "Damn it! Stop apologizing!" he said harshly, "If you were cold you could have said something! Don't you have an overcoat that everyone else in the damn NOL wears?" Noel shook her head sadly and mumbled something about "misplacing" it. Ragna gaped at her. "You _lost_ the damn thing? How big an idiot are you?"

_Why is he being so mean to me? I already apologized…what more does he want?_

**Ugh, I'm chewin' her out really bad. I need to let up. Fuck, how can I? She reminds me of Saya, and after all that's happened, I think that's made it even worse. God damn it. I'll try to let up, otherwise she'll just start crying again. Or worse, she might run off.**

Ragna sighed and rubbed his face in a weary sort of way. "Whatever. It doesn't matter. If you get cold, tell me, will you?" he said, his voice calming.

Noel looked up at him. "What? Why?" she asked.

Ragna felt his eye twitch in annoyance. "Because, you idiot, I have a jacket you can borrow, you know," he said through grit teeth.

**Don't get the wrong idea Noel, because if you do…fuck, I don't even know anymore.**

Noel blushed slightly and shook her head. "You don't have to do that," she said timidly.

"Alright, so go throughout the nights cold," said Ragna shortly.

"Ah! But…I mean, won't you get cold?" asked Noel.

Ragna sighed. "Look, do you want it or not? Because if you say no, you better not ask me tonight when it gets cold and you wanna snuggle up like a cat or something," he said sharply. Noel nodded and looked away. "Good. Now let's get going." Ragna got up, stretched and started walking without a backward glance.

_Ah! W-wait!_

Noel got up and dusted herself off as she jogged to catch up to him. "Thanks for that," she said after a short while.

Ragna smirked. "What, chewing you out? If you liked it, I can start again," he said, "I didn't know you were a masochist."

Noel pouted. "No, I mean for offering me your jacket for tonight," she said.

_I guess he can be sweet when he wants to be._

"Oh. That," responded Ragna with mild distaste, "Don't get the wrong idea. I don't want you bitching or getting all friendly at night is all."

Noel smiled broadly, to Ragna's surprise.

_Type A? I knew it._

_

* * *

_

**Author's Note: There we go, chapter one is done, adding a third story to my list of stories I'm psychotically juggling! Yay! I do believe quite a few of you will catch that little reference I ended the chapter with.**


	2. A Time to Kill

Crimson Azure: Chapter 2

Noel and Ragna continued on their trek to Ikaruga; the path was long and winding, but fortunately drifted through various hamlets and towns in which to rest in a bed as opposed to the cold ground. Unfortunately, the nearest town was another five miles away, and in the mean time, they would sleep wherever the ground was softest.

_Ugh. I'm hungry…how does he get by without eating?_

Noel's stomach audibly growled; she flushed a bright red and quickly clutched her stomach in an embarrassed sort of way. With a smirk Ragna commented, "Hungry? I told you life on the road wasn't glamorous."

With a pout, Noel responded, "I didn't expect it to be!" Her stomach growled again. "Ugh, but could we maybe find some food to eat? Please?"

Ragna shrugged and pointed to the road in front of them. "We can eat when we get to the next town, until then, hold out," he said simply, "I didn't bring much with me either. I usually live off the land when travelling. Helps me avoid towns and people." Noel whined and nodded sadly. With a sigh, Ragna rummaged in his pocket and extracted a small plastic-wrapped package; it was melon bread. "Here, if it'll shut you up, eat this."

Noel's eyes lit up and her face split into a wide smile. "Really? Are you sure you don't want it?" she asked out of courtesy.

Ragna rolled his eyes. "Whatever, just take it before I change my mind," he said gruffly.

_Wow. Definitely a Type A, Ragna. Maybe I should offer him some...I don't want to look greedy or ungrateful…_

With a smile, Noel offered half of the unwrapped bread to Ragna. "You shouldn't go hungry either," she said cheerfully. Ragna raised an eyebrow and pushed the bread back at her. Noel frowned a bit. "What's wrong?"

"I can do without. That bread was really only meant for an emergency. Or if I really needed Tao to just shut up. Not that it matters now. So go ahead and eat it; I don't mind," he responded dismissively. With a slight frown, Noel ate her half of the bread and pressed the other half into Ragna's hand, clasping it shut with her own.

"Please, I insist," she said quietly. Ragna rolled his eyes and gave a noncommittal jerk of the head. The two walked in relative silence, soft footfalls and the sound of chewing rounding out the boring doldrums of the journey. Noel fidgeted uncomfortably with her fingers; the silence was killing her.

_Why is he so quiet? He's really intimidating like this…I hope he's not angry._

"What was travelling with Tao like?" asked Noel; she privately hoped this didn't look like a transparent attempt to break the silence.

Ragna kept chewing for another moment or two before answering her. "It was fine. I guess. She doesn't shut up, she gets distracted really easily and she doesn't shut up," he said matter-of-factly.

"You said that twice…" responded Noel in a puzzled tone.

Ragna smirked. "That was for emphasis," he said smugly. He finished the last of his bread before continuing, "At the very least, you're a lot quieter than she is. And less touchy too." Ragna rolled his eyes. "Tao doesn't leave anyone alone, physically or mentally. If she isn't talking nonstop about shit I don't care about, she's punching and poking me and trying to play." Ragna scratched his chin absently. "But at least she's cheery. What's up with you?"

Noel's eyes widened and she blushed lightly. "Ah, I'm sorry, I'm just not good at making conversation," she said timidly.

Ragna scoffed. "Bullshit. You talk well enough to your friends I'm sure, and unless I'm mistaken you wanted to talk to me for a bit after we got away from Nu," he said coldly. Noel looked away guiltily. "So, what the hell's on your mind?"

Noel shook her head. "N-nothing, I'm really at a loss for what to say. I've never been around you for very long because…" she trailed off. Ragna felt his stomach squirm with guilt.

**Because I'm an asshole to you, right. Thanks for the reminder.**

"Right, whatever," sighed Ragna, "If you wanna stay quiet, then be my guest." Silence fell upon them once again at this statement, and it persisted for almost two hours.

**Jeez. This is boring, but at least the silence is pleasant.**

Ragna hazarded a quick glance at Noel's face; it bore the marks of intense boredom and her eyes stared a thousand yards away at nothing. Suddenly, her eyes widened and her stance became tense. Ragna looked quickly back at the road: three figures stood rigidly in the middle of the path; none of them looked particularly friendly. As they approached the figures, their stances grew aggressive and their spacing increased: they were trying to block their progress.

Hoods draped the faces of the figures in darkness; the center figure spoke in a hoarse, harsh tone, "There's a toll to use this road. Pay up or turn around."

"Tch, get out of my way," said Ragna, annoyed, "I haven't got time for this shit." The figures raised swords and pointed them menacingly at Ragna.

"Big mistake. We'll give you one more chance to pay the toll, or cut off your arms and legs," breathed the figure on the right, "And believe me, you'll wish your lady friend here got the same treatment." Noel yelped.

_Oh God, oh God, oh God, oh God._

Ragna laughed; it was a cold, harsh laugh. "Sorry to disappoint you," he said savagely, shaking his sleeves back, "Someone beat you to my arms." The figures looked taken aback at the reveal of his Azure Grimoire. Ragna smirked. "NOW NOEL!" He unsheathed his sword and swung powerfully at the left figure.

_Now what? There's a plan? What's going on?_

Noel's mind was racing and she wildly summoned Bolverk. "Optic Barrel!" she shouted, pointing randomly at the left figure. Bright light exploded in front of his chest and knocked him backward. He wasn't moving. Noel looked at Ragna in time to see him swing, his sword enveloped in black and crimson energy at the center figure, which seemed to be futilely attempting to block. His sword shattered and Ragna's blade drove straight into the figure's stomach. Noel looked away and covered her eyes. The sound of flesh tearing and blood spilling still found her ears however, and she felt immediately nauseous.

"Noel," said Ragna evenly, "there's still one left." Noel looked hurriedly back at Ragna and cringed; he was pointing his sword at the figure lying on the ground: evidently he was still alive. Noel felt repulsed; Ragna has spots of blood splattered across his chest and arms.

_I should have known this would've happened at least one. I can't pretend that Ragna's ability to kill is somehow pleasant…His sword though…_

Ragna stared at Noel; she seemed to be fixed on his sword. Ragna sheathed it and said matter-of-factly, "It absorbs blood." Noel nodded and looked down at her victim. His breathing was uneven and the wound on his chest was bleeding profusely. "You did this Noel, so you have to end it too."

Noel was taken aback. "What? Me? But…but why? I can't do that!" she said fearfully. She looked down at the figure and back up at Ragna. "Can't you do it?" she said pleadingly. Ragna rolled his eyes and shook his head. Noel looked back down at the figure and raised her pistols at it shakily. She felt faint, and it seemed that the pistols would fall out of her hands if she didn't do something. _Anything_. With a wail she dropped her pistols and shook her head violently. Bolverk hit the ground worthlessly and disintegrated into light. With a sigh Ragna drew his sword and dropped it firmly through the chest of the figure. It sputtered, coughed and then moved no more.

With a look of distaste Ragna removed the sword from the corpse and flicked it before sheathing it. He looked over at Noel. "Noel? Noel. Stop crying," he said firmly. Noel wiped her face and turned away from Ragna.

**Ugh. I should have seen this coming. If she'd just toughen up. Pft. Like that's gonna happen.**

"They were trying to kill you Noel. What's worse, it sounded like they were gonna rape you too. If that doesn't spur you to man up and kill your enemy, I don't know how you made it into the NOL," said Ragna firmly.

Noel turned back at Ragna, face red and streaked with tears. "I'm just Jin's assistant! I haven't had to kill anyone in my line of work!" she cried. "And I'm not going to start."

Ragna sighed and rubbed his eyes. "You aren't getting anywhere alive out here with that mindset," he said wearily, "I would know. If you aren't willing to kill, you're going to die out here."

Noel stood up shakily. "I'm not going to kill anyone Ragna," she said with increasing strength, "I haven't and I won't."

Ragna shrugged. "Fine, do what you want," he said dispassionately. He set off down the road again. Noel caught up to him.

"How can you be so nonchalant about this? Those are _humans_ back there!" she asked incredulously, wiping her face hurriedly. "And you just killed them!"

"They _were_ human, Noel. They aren't anymore. Not when they're trying to kill us," said Ragna evenly, "They're enemies at the point."

"That doesn't make any sense!" said Noel hotly, "They were still human!"

"What were we going to do with them Noel? Let them lie there after we knock them unconscious? Leave them to prey on another person another day? Give them a chance to find us and attack again? We're in the middle of nowhere, and here, there is no law," responded Ragna angrily, "You're still thinking like we're back in Kagutsuchi, where the NOL can just come along and arrest somebody. Out here it's kill or be killed Noel. Kill or be killed. There'll come a time when you'll have to make that decision Noel, and with that mindset of yours, you aren't going to survive."

Noel faltered. "There has to be a way Ragna," she said softly.

Ragna shook his head. "There isn't," he said finally. He looked out at the horizon. "Sun'll set in an hour or so, we better walk only a little farther and then settle in somewhere safe."

* * *

Within the hour, darkness was setting upon the two travelers. Noel was lying on her back, staring up at the canopy of leaves the trees around them wove. Ragna's jacket was wrapped around her. Nearby, she heard him snoring lightly; sleep had evidently come easy for him. She felt her stomach growl. With a small whine, she rubbed it and rolled onto her side.

_I'm hungry, tired, dirty and uncomfortable. How does he put up with this?_

She pulled the jacket up to cover her mouth. It smelled of blood. Her stomach churned and she threw it off herself.

_Disgusting. I'd rather sleep without it. Ugh, I feel like I'm going to throw up now…_

She tossed and turned for an hour or so. Her entire body was freezing and a chilly breeze was beginning to stir the forest, echoing soft ruffles about her. She sat up abruptly and blew her hair out of her face in a defeated sort of way.

_Fine._

She pulled the jacket over her body again and rolled back onto her side. Tentatively, she pulled the jacket up to her mouth again. It still smelled of blood.

_Blood. But…beneath all that._

_It smells like him._

* * *

**Holy Christ. I'm sorry everyone. Updates have been slow because I've been wrestling with what to write and when to write it. I'm still going, so don't think I've stopped. I'm just going a lot slower now. Hope you enjoyed it!**


	3. The Precipice of History

**Author's Notes: Sorry! Late update, as usual. Nevertheless, it's out! Rejoice! I experimented with the whole "thoughts" text. Yes, Ragna's thought text is italicized **_**within**_** a sentence for a reason.**

Crimson Azure: Chapter 3

_Ugh…it's too bright._

Noel rolled away from the sunlight playing into her eyes through her eyelids and pulled Ragna's jacked over her head. Something pulled the jacket off her and said gruffly, "Get up. Time to move." With a whine Noel covered her eyes with her hands and shook her head.

_It's too early. I couldn't sleep…I kept having nightmares…_

Ragna sighed and pulled Noel onto her feet. "I'm not a morning person either, but it's time to move. We're a few hours away from the next town."

Noel's eyes flew open (an act she regretted immediately as they began to water from the sudden influx of light) and said excitedly, "Really? We're actually close to civilization?" Ragna rolled his eyes and nodded.

**Wow. That got her up fast.**

"Let's get going Ragna! Come on!" She grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the forest onto the main road.

"Whoa! Hey! Calm down! We're still a few hours walk, and there's no way I'm running all the way there," said Ragna flatly.

**God. She can be excited when she wants to be.**

Noel had a significant bounce in her step the entire walk to the town.

_It's odd. I don't usually like being around so many people, but something normal like a town…It's just too good to be true!_

For the next few hours, Ragna was subject to the increasing anticipation in Noel's gait and tone. Silence was frequently punctuated by her desires for a proper bed and decent shower, all of which Ragna could only grit his teeth to and bear.

**And now, I wish she'd shut the fuck up. This isn't fair; she goes from silent to loudmouth at the drop of a hat. At least Tao was **_**always**_** talking.**

An indistinct shape appeared on the horizon before them, and Noel's voice rose in giddy anticipation as she gasped, "Ragna! It's the town! We're almost there!"

Ragna rolled his eyes. "Don't get ahead of yourself. It could be something more sinister." He was wrong; a few more minutes of walking brought the shape into distinction, and the telltale silhouette of buildings stood erect against the clear sky.

Once inside the town, Ragna dragged Noel towards an inn, intent on first booking a room and asking if a large red man with iron fists, a squirrel-girl and an overly excited cat-girl had been by. To his and Noel's dismay, Tager, Makoto and Taokaka had stayed the night before waiting for them to show up and had left earlier in the morning for the next town when they discovered they still had not shown up.

"What the hell would they do that for?" asked Ragna loudly at the café the two decided to eat lunch at, "It doesn't make sense! They should have just waited another day! And how do they know that you're with me? Why didn't they go back to look for you in that forest?"

_That's a good question…why didn't they?_

She opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by the dignified tones of a woman, "Because I told them that you were safe with this dog here."

Ragna looked to his left and grimaced. "What the hell do you want Rabbit? How did you get here?"

"I have my own methods of travel, as you well know," she responded elegantly, "And they left because I told them you were ahead of them."

Ragna stood up and nearly knocked the table over. "YOU WHAT?" he shouted, "What kind of shit are you trying to pull, Rachel?"

Rachel looked away in a disinterested sort of manner. "I have my own reasons. So you would do well to continue along."

Ragna grit his teeth and clenched his fists. "You bitch."

Rachel's parasol responded in an offended tone, "So typical of a dog to resort to such coarse language! Pay him no mind Princess."

"Quiet Nago," said Rachel; her tone had a bite of impatience. "You would do well to ponder, hard as it may be for you, why I've put you into this position, Ragna."

Ragna scoffed and sat back down. He forcefully crammed in a mouthful of food and chewed moodily. "I don't care why, and if you aren't going to tell me, then go away," he said angrily.

Rachel smirked and turned about gracefully. "Very well," she said loftily, "If you bang your head against the wall long enough, perhaps you'll learn that it's hard." A portal opened before her and she stepped elegantly through it.

Ragna grimaced. "That bitch," he said angrily, "What the hell is she playing at?"

Noel finally decided it was safe to speak. "Ragna? Are you alright?"

With an angry sigh, Ragna impatiently drummed his fingers on the table and said after a beat, "Yeah, whatever."

Noel stared out into the town. "Well, it's not all bad Ragna," she said, attempting to sound optimistic, "I mean, at least we found a town to stay in. That means we won't be sleeping on the hard ground tonight. And…that's something…right?"

Ragna scoffed. "Oh yeah, that solves everything doesn't it? Damn it Noel, that fucking rabbit is the reason why you aren't back with Tager and Makoto."

Noel contemplated the situation. "Well, if we move faster tomorrow we might be able to catch up with them. It's not like Tager is fast," she said half-jokingly.

Ragna smirked in spite of himself but quickly suppressed it. "Whatever. I'm going back to the inn. Have fun doing whatever," he said irritably.

Noel watched Ragna's retreating back before perking up. "Ah…wait! What about…" He was gone. "Paying…" she finished sadly.

_You're impossible to read half the time._

* * *

Ragna lay on the bed in the room, his arms folded behind his head.

**Damn it Rachel. Why the hell would you leave me with her? I. Don't. Want. To. Be. Around. People. God, this is bullshit.**

He rolled over onto his stomach and stared at the headboard.

**I gotta think this through. I need to get Noel back to Tager and Makoto as soon as possible. I don't want her around me any longer than she needs to be.**

_**I did save her though. She isn't that bad.**_

**Why the hell wouldn't I have saved her? I'm not like Terumi.**

_**I like her.**_

**Oh, ha ha. I can barely tolerate Tao, let alone **_**her**_** whiny ass.**

_**Well, think about it rationally. I saved her. I even told her that we aren't so different. Maybe it's time to drop a little of the "tough guy" persona. I obviously care about her.**_

**I'm tough because I need to be. Life didn't hold my hand and say, "Oh, poor Ragna. You've had a bad day. How about some milk and cookies?" Instead, it TORE OFF MY ARM. Any of this "caring" bullshit is just…**

_**Just what? I didn't save her just because Terumi wanted to use her to destroy Amaterasu.**_

**I needed to. I couldn't stop Terumi otherwise.**

_**Then why did I open up to her in an effort to reach her?**_

**I hate Terumi. That's why I did it.**

_**Not everyone is Terumi. Hell, Jin improved a little bit. Just…a little bit.**_

**Well, I guess Jin did improve. But Noel is still being so whiny. It's pissing me off.**

_**She's been through a lot. I've been through a lot. I should know where she's coming from.**_

**I sucked it up. I put up with losing Saya, my arm and my regular life to destroy the NOL. And now I'm gonna kill Terumi.**

_**Noel isn't me. She's had a different life, and a different upbringing. She's also got a wildly different personality.**_

**So what? I used to be happy-go-lucky, and then I realized the problem with that: it loses you arms.**

_**It doesn't matter. She's different. I stepped up because I had to when I was young. She's just processing all of this. She was just told she's a clone. A puppet. How would I have felt?**_

**Fine, **_**fine,**_** I **_**give**_**. I'll **_**go**_** easier** _**on**_** her.**

Ragna sat up on the bed and stared outside. The sun was lazily drifting towards the horizon. "Jesus Christ," he said aloud, "Is it that late already? Where the fuck is Noel?" He heaved himself up and walked to the door. "You better not be lost. I swear, if you are…" The door swung open and cut off whatever threat Ragna was intending on voicing, smacking him square in the face and sending him toppling over.

"Oh God, Ragna!" Noel rushed over to him and struggled to pull him up off the ground. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Are you alright?"

Ragna smacked away Noel's hand and got up unevenly. "God damn it Noel…"

"I'm sorry!" she squealed, "It was an accident!" She bowed deeply in apology.

Ragna rubbed his face and shook himself off. "Whatever. I was on my way out to look for you actually. Thanks for saving me the trouble."

_That's a rather backhanded show of gratitude._

Ragna turned about and plopped himself on the bed again. "As long as my face isn't in any more danger, I'm going to turn in." He rolled over and faced the window.

Noel sighed. "Good night."

Ragna stared at the window for a moment and remembered what he had told himself. "Right. Night."

* * *

Noel leaned against the wall of the shower, lost in thought. Water dripped down her naked form and swirled into the drain. After a few days without one, her shower seemed significantly less sweet than she expected.

_Travelling with a Type A is so…difficult. Everything seems to set him off. I guess he can be sweet when he wants to be, but that's so rare. He only ever seems to show he cares when…I'm in danger._

Noel felt her mouth open slightly and she straightened up a bit.

_Duh. That makes perfect sense._

A montage of images flashed through Noels' mind, all of them small snippets of an almost grudging kindness.

_And he saved me from Terumi. And from being that…thing. It gives me the shivers just thinking about what I could have done._

Noel sighed. "A Murokumo unit…" She turned off the water in the shower and wrapped a towel around herself. "I know so little about him. There must be a reason he acts so tough and angry all the time." She got dressed and walked out into the bedroom.

_I'll ask him tomorrow. For now, I need to go…to…Oh no._

Paralyzed, she stared at his sleeping figure and came to a horrifying realization.

_We only booked one room._ _Oh no. Oh no. Oh no! What…what do I do?_

Noel flapped her arms in confusion.

_I can't…He'll kill me! But…I…Oh no! Um…Should I wake him up? No! That'd be rude. He got there first…Sleep on the floor? Ohhh…I didn't come to an inn to sleep on the floor! What do I do? Maybe…if I just…sleep on the very edge. Oh, but I might fall down! Why didn't we book two rooms?_

Noel paced for the better part of ten minutes, running through the same two options: sleep on the floor, sleep on the bed.

_Oh…why can't I decide? I need to think. If I sleep on the bed…it…it won't mean anything, right? It's not like…it's not like I __like__ him or anything._

Her posture slumped.

_That's an outright lie. I kind of do. But, he doesn't? Right? So it won't matter, because it'll all be the same to him in the end! Oh…but…he might take it the wrong way. He already seemed upset that I slept next to him in the woods. Oh God, what am I even talking about?\_

She stared intently at his sleeping figure. He had fallen asleep on top of all of the covers.

_That's it! I'll just sleep under the covers. I'll be shielded from him and he can't say anything at all!_

With deliberation, Noel pulled the covers from the bed back far enough for her to slip under without disturbing Ragna. Once safely tucked in, she pulled the covers over her body and rolled over to face opposite his direction.

_Perfect._

* * *

Fate, however, is a stubborn mistress, and Noel awoke to the sensation of a gentle breeze on the crown of her head. It was rhythmic and warm. She smiled instinctively and drew closer towards it until she felt herself bump against something soft and warm. With a second smile she drew it closer to her body and snuggled against it.

_I missed this so much. It's so pleasant sleeping on a bed. Wait…that smell._

Noel's eyes flew open and she felt the color drain from her face.

_Oh…God._

With the smallest of movements she began to worm her way backwards and away from Ragna.

_Please. Don't. Wake. Up._

Something caught her back.

_What is that? Is that…his arm? Oh god, this is just like last time, except this time __he__ won't let me go!_

Unsure of how to act, Noel elected to lay there and stare, unfocused at Ragna's chest. The reckoning was sure to come in a few minutes, and surely enough, it did.

**What the hell am I holding? I don't hug pillows when I sleep. Wait. If it's her, I swear, I'm gonna…**

He opened his eyes and looked down at the frightened figure of Noel.

"Again?" he said murderously. "Do you get off on this or what?"

Noel shook her head quickly. "You won't let go of me!" She looked genuinely scared.

Ragna realized that his arm was draped over her figure and tucked under her; with a start he withdrew it quickly and bounded out of bed. "Uh, right, that was…um…Why the hell did you sleep next to me?"

"Where else was I going to sleep? I didn't come to an inn to sleep on the floor!" said Noel defensively.

Ragna felt the sensation of guilt run through his stomach. "Well…damn…wake me up and tell me to move then," he said finally.

"That would have been rude!" she responded.

Ragna threw his arms up. "I don't care! I do this shit all the time."

_There he goes again. I think it's time I try to find a little more about him._

Noel stared at Ragna. "Why are you so intent on avoiding people?"

**The hell is this? Some decided to grow a pair.**

Ragna looked away. "Don't worry about it. It's none of your business."

Noel pouted and got up from the bed. "If I'm travelling with you, I think I need to know at least a little bit about you!"

"You know everything you need to know about me," said Ragna, "Fuck the NOL, fuck Terumi, and fuck Saya for working with him. All of them need to be dealt with. The past is meaningless bullshit. It's the present I'm worried about."

"The past must mean something for you Ragna. I can't imagine you just decided one day on a whim to destroy the Novis Orbis Librarium," argued Noel.

Ragna scoffed. "What difference does it make? Just leave me alone. I don't wanna deal with this shit." He made a start to leave the room but Noel cut across him.

"We're travelling together! I need to know _something_ about you. Something that isn't already obvious," she said imploringly.

Ragna rolled his eyes and thought back to his personal conversation the other day. "Fine. You go first," he said.

Startled, Noel stammered, "Wh-what?"

Ragna smirked. "I don't know much about you either. So, if I'm gonna explain myself, you should too. Ladies first."

**Let's see if you still want an explanation Noel.**

Noel opened her mouth and then closed it.

"Nothing?" said Ragna maddeningly. "Guess I'll go get breakfast then."

"Wait!" shouted Noel at his retreating back. "I…" She took a deep breath. "I'll explain."

* * *

**Author's Notes: Once again, sorry for the delay. Rachel is NOT playing matchmaker. Her own reasons are not motivated by a desire to see Ragna and Noel together. Her reasoning has more to do with putting Ragna through "boot camp" so to speak, so he'll stop being such a dickhead. It has more to do with learning to work with allies in the face of greater danger so he doesn't get himself killed. In other words, Rachel is looking out for his best interests in a somewhat more active way then she usually does. I would have normally explained this through the prose as the story developed, but I'm trying to avoid running amiss with people that would be offended by Rachel being little more than a matchmaker. It's a role she is ill suited to and is hardly befitting of a lady such as herself.**

**I put the explanation in the story, Rachel-dono. I don't want the lightning again.**


	4. A Poor Stopper

**Author's Notes: Not much to say this time. I hope you enjoy the chapter! I looked back over the previous chapter and realized that a couple of criticisms I've received from some friends are hyper-ultra-super-mega valid. I'm too choppy. There's an excess of one-sentence "paragraphs." I will try to amend that! Some people might not like the fact that two people are talking in one paragraph, and others might. Personally, I think it helps the writing flow and makes it less of an eyesore to see a huge succession of single sentence dialogues. Plus, I'm making it as explicit as possible as to who is talking (the two talk so differently anyway, it shouldn't be a problem.) Let me know if you've got problems with it though. Huh. I guess I did have a lot to say.**

Crimson Azure: Chapter 4

"…and so the first thing I saw was…um…you, after I was freed from that…terrible form," finished Noel, "And I guess I never got to properly thank you for it. Um…thank you."

Ragna, who had been drumming his fingers against his knee, looked up at Noel. "Done?" She nodded. "Dear God, I guess I'll never have to ask you about your life story." He smirked and then sighed. "Well, I guess I gotta live up to my end of the bargain…" He launched into an abridged explanation of his childhood, Saya, Jin and the day he lost his right arm. From there, he transitioned into being trained by Jubei and his Azure Grimoire, his initial interactions with Rachel and then concluded with his vendetta against the Librarium for what it had done to him and to his life. With a yawn, he concluded, almost lamely, "And that's my life. Learn anything new?"

Noel hesitated; learning about his childhood explained his personality and his hatred of the NOL somewhat, but did not explain why he was so aggravated by her presence. Regardless, only the training by Jubei was really new; she had learned already that he and Jin were brothers and Saya was his sister.

_ I have to say though, being trained by Jubei of the Six Heroes? That's incredible. No wonder he's so good at fighting._

"Yeah, I did…but…well, that still doesn't explain a question that's been bothering me…" Noel +didn't know how to phrase the question without sounding whiny or self-absorbed. She didn't feel that she was asking for any of those reasons; she just wanted to know why Ragna was so off-put by her presence. She stared down at the bed, lost in thought. "Hey! You gonna ask me or what?" Noel crashed back into reality and looked up at Ragna apologetically. "I'm sorry! Um…why…why…" She faltered. "Spit it out Noel, or I won't bother answering it!" Noel steeled herself and asked quickly, "Why does my presence bother you so much?"

Ragna stared at Noel. "Well, I, uh…don't like being around people," he said evasively. Noel frowned. "You seemed to enjoy being around Jubei. And you clearly liked Saya in your childhood. I'd even say you loved her." For Ragna the Bloodedge, the Grim Reaper, the SS-Class criminal to love someone seemed to be in the realm of impossibility for most, but to Noel, it seemed all to possible. The tough-guy façade belied something truer in his form…something more human, like compassion. "Look, Saya was my sister," started Ragna. "You mean, she _is_ your sister." Ragna scowled. "Whatever! Noel, I don't like being around people, alright? It's just a personality trait."

_He's shutting himself off again. I can't let him do that._

"Ragna, stop lying," she said bravely. Ragna looked almost taken aback.

**Alright, I owe her one just for that ballsy statement.**

"Fine, you want the truth Noel? Remember that whole puppet thing that bastard Terumi was talking about? Before you went bat-shit and killed off Amaterasu?" Noel nodded. Ragna continued. "You look like Saya. What do you think that implies? Hell, I'll even throw this in: Nu and Lambda also look like her. They were all, and you were, a Murokumo unit." Noel stared blankly at him; internally her mind was in freefall.

_So…that's what I'm a puppet of? Saya?_

"But…why do you…why are you…" Noel couldn't finish her sentence. Ragna got up and awkwardly patted her shoulder. "Um…well, you kept reminding me of Saya, and that was…well, kinda painful to say the least. I mean, that's a major reason I'm tearing up the Library, you know?" Noel nodded. "That's fine…but…why didn't you ever tell me this?" Ragna almost laughed. "What, and have you go crazy then?"

Noel shook her head. "I mean, you could have told me that I reminded you of something painful in your past. You could have even told me I looked like your sister. That would have been enough," she said in a hurt voice. Ragna rolled his eyes. "Yeah, but it was much easier just to make you shove off." Noel made an injured noise. With a sigh, Ragna awkwardly patted her shoulder again.

"Look, don't worry about it Noel. I don't…hate you or anything," he said bracingly, if a bit awkwardly, "You're alright. Mostly." Noel looked up at Ragna; she seemed to be on the verge of tears. With a sigh, Ragna sat down beside her and looked away. "Noel, I'm not…uh, good with words. I've been talking with my fists and Blood-Scythe for the longest time now, so, uh…sorry if I suck with trying to make you feel better." Ragna jumped slightly when he felt something lean against his shoulder; it was Noel's head. He rolled his eyes and said, only half-heartedly, "Enough with the touchy-feely stuff already." Noel seemed to have not heard.

**Well, whatever. If it makes her feel better. **_**See? I can be compassionate.**_** No one asked you, asshole. **_**Don't you mean "me"?**_** Whatever.**

After a minute or so, Noel straightened up and said quietly, "Let's go get breakfast or something…we need to be leaving soon anyway." Ragna nodded and the two left for a nearby restaurant.

Breakfast was quick and incredibly quiet, and so were the past two hours of travel; with a look of mild confusion, Ragna glanced over at Noel. She seemed to be lost in thought, which he figured at least explained why she was being so quiet. She certainly didn't look sad. Perhaps she'd accepted the truth about her origins.

**I wonder what's bugging her. **_**The whole "I'm a puppet/clone/thing of Ragna's sister" I would imagine.**_** Yeah, but…well, I guess when she's ready to talk or somethin'.**

_I guess I can deal with everything Ragna's said about who I really am. He __is__ right…humanity is more than just your origins. But at the same time…Oh God, I hope I'm not blushing_.

Noel felt her face almost absently and furtively looked over at Ragna; his gaze was as dull as ever, fixed on an endless horizon and seemingly endless road. Her face wasn't warm.

_Good. But…well, there go your chances of anything ever coming about your feelings for him. The last thing he'll want to do is date someone that looks like his sister, much less is a clone of her. Well…to be fair, I probably didn't have much of a chance anyway. Romance is probably the very last thing on his mind. It should really be the same for me too…there's really not much time for it. Then again, I've read a few stories online about situations like this…but those are just stories. This is reality. Nothing extraordinary ever happens in reality. Unless…well, everything that happened to him and I actually __did__ happen…maybe the stories I read aren't so farfetched. Gah. What am I talking about? I don't have anywhere near enough courage to actually tell him. If only one of those romantic scenes could happen where it'd be so easy to say so. Why am I so wrapped up in this? I only __kind of__ like him._

Noel faltered. That was an outright lie too.

_First, I lie about actually liking him. Then I lie about how much I like him. What's wrong with me? Maybe…I don't even know anymore._

Noel shook her head repeatedly. Ragna turned back in time to see her doing so and cocked and eyebrow. "Noel? What the _hell_ are you doing?" Noel looked up abruptly and yelped. "I'm, um…nothing! Nothing at all!" With a nervous chuckle, she caught up to Ragna and continued along, her posture and face betraying a significantly more wary disposition. "Noel? What…what are you doing?" She came to the realization that she was walking unusually rigidly; she relaxed her posture immediately, though perhaps a bit too much, as now looked rather slumped. Ragna stopped walking and stared at Noel. "What the fuck is going on with you? First you're quiet, and then you're walking around like you've got a rod up your ass, and now you look like your spine stopped working."

"I-it's nothing Ragna, nothing at all." Noel kept walking forward and put on a brave façade of normality. "Come on, we need to cover more ground if we want to get to Ikaruga." Ragna shrugged; whatever it was, she clearly didn't want him to know now.

"Ragna? Have you ever been romantically involved with someone?" The words were out of her mouth before she knew what she had said, and as her face flushed a superb crimson, she clasped her hands over mouth. Knees trembling, she waited on tenterhooks for an outburst of anger or confusion. Ragna stumbled and looked immediately at Noel. "Wh-what?" he asked. "Romantically…involved?" He stared for a moment at the ground. "N-no! I've been travelling alone for a damn long while now. When the hell would I have time for that…stuff?"

Noel lowered her hands and said cautiously, "So…no girlfriend? Ever?" Ragna looked at Noel as if he hadn't ever seen her properly before. "What the shit? Why are you so curious? This came out of a fucking nowhere." He considered her for a moment and then said, just as cautiously, "No. I've never had a girlfriend. I don't have time for those things while I'm out on the road. I move too much, I kill too much and I'm generally a threat to almost anyone that comes across me." Noel nodded, but covered her mouth to keep her from betraying anything else that could possibly compromise her. She followed mutely behind him after he started walking again. Internally, a battle raged.

_Maybe you could tell him he does have time for it. Gah! Stop it, Noel! You're too hung up on this. Just stay focused on getting to Ikaruga. You don't need another thing to worry about. On the other hand, this'll keep eating away at me if I don't do something about it…But what?_

"Alright, I understand," she said quietly. Agonizing silence settled between the duo once more, and Noel continued to weigh her options and courses of actions long after they had set up camp, well into the night.

* * *

Ragna sat on a broken wall near the campsite and stared out down the road. He was contemplating Noel's questions from the day before, and the implications of the questions were bringing him unease. Over in a patch of grass, Noel lie sleeping, unaware of the outside world and, fortunately for Ragna, eternally unaware of the conflict raging in his mind.

**God damn it. I had a feeling something like this might happen. Damn it, Noel. You better not have fallen for me. I'm the last person you want in your life. **_**Oh come on, I'm not **__**that**__** bad.**_** I'm the damn Grim Reaper! What the hell does she want with someone like me? **_**I saved her life. Not only that, I **__**chose**__** to save her life when I could have killed her. More to the point, I reached out to her in her darkest hour and…**_** Blah blah. Yeah, I know what I did. I don't need to hear any of that sappy shit. It doesn't matter anyway; I'm too dangerous, too…unstable. **_**I'm not mental or anything.**_** I mean that I move around too much. Like I said earlier, I'm not the type for her. She needs someone like…I dunno, but definitely not someone like me. **_**If I can't even think of who she needs, how can I rule myself out?**_** I'm technically her brother! **_**She's an artificially created human, which makes her quite different from the usual "sister" thing. **_**What kind of bullshit technicality is that? **_**I'm right though.**_** That doesn't even make sense! God damn it! It's not that I ****like**** her! I just… **_**I just what? What kind of excuse am I gonna come up with to get myself out of this one? **_**I don't care. Even if I do like her a little, I don't like her enough to put her into that kind of danger. If she says anything, I'm telling her I can't do it. **_**Don't you mean I like her so much I **__**don't**__** want to put her in that kind of danger?**_

…

**Fuck.**

Ragna stood up and beat the side of his head gently with his fist. "I'm a damn fool. This isn't going to end well for her if I stick around…I should just get out of here…" He turned and looked down the road. If he started sprinting now, he'd be far too ahead for her to catch up. He looked down at her sleeping figure; she was entirely helpless as long as she slept. Terrible, white-hot guilt bubbled in his stomach and felt like he'd deliberately killed an injured puppy. "Damn it Noel. I hope you know how much it means that I'm letting you follow me," he said aloud.

Noel rolled over and opened her eyes. Sleepily, she said, "What was that Ragna?" Ragna froze and stared fearfully at Noel. Had she heard him? "I didn't say anything. I think you were dreaming." Noel sat up and stretched, yawning all the while. She rubbed her eyes sleepily and got to her feet uneasily. Through a badly suppressed yawn she said, "Should we get going now?" Ragna nodded and beckoned for her to follow.

The two walked in relative silence for the first hour or so; Noel was still waking up for much of that time. Ragna kept his gaze firmly on the road ahead and beat away the remnants of the thoughts he had been considering prior to Noel's awakening. Perhaps, he reasoned, he could keep beating away the problem, deal with it later on when he had more space, and time to think. Preferably, that time would include Noel _not_ being in such close proximity.

Noel, meanwhile, felt significantly more alert now that the sun was higher in the sky and took note of Ragna's statuesque stare towards the horizon. She glanced over to see if another town or some figure stood on the horizon, but the road led to the same featureless oblivion it had for the last hour.

_What's he thinking about? Hm. Ooh, maybe…no…no, that's silly. But…then again…maybe he is!_

Her mind began to race again, and the feeling of possessing a skull a size too small for her thoughts gripped her once more.

_He could be thinking about the questions I asked him. Oh no…what if he read into them? Wait…that might be a good thing! He could have figured it out! But…do I really want that…Oh no, what if he's trying to think of how to reject me? Oh, who am I kidding? That's probably exactly what he's thinking…I'm probably too annoying…or worse… _

She glanced furtively down at her chest; with a frown she looked back at the road.

_Maybe I'm just not…anything enough for him. But…well, he did say he's always busy. Maybe he's just trying to figure out a way to explain it. I mean, for all that he says and does, he's seems to actually care about my safety. That's more than can be said about a lot of people. And coming from him, if he cares enough to keep me safe, that's definitely something worth noting. I think. I hope. I should tell him that it doesn't matter if he doesn't have time for a girlfriend, I can help him make time! Or…something…figure out something! Wait…gah! How am I ACTUALLY going to say that to him? What if he gets angry? I can't deal with him angry that well. What if he thinks I'm creepy? Oh no! I can't have that…but…Ohhh….what do I do? Makoto…why aren't you here to help?_

Noel felt her tongue becoming increasingly agitated; it was begging to burst out and tell Ragna everything and anything to have just a _chance_ at a relationship. Nothing more, just a simple chance.

"Hey, uh, Noel?" asked Ragna. Noel looked quickly at Ragna and felt her mouth explode. "Ragna, please, I really like you and I-I-I don't think that you won't have enough time for a girlfriend or anything like that! We'll have plenty of time on the road and stuff to…" She faltered at the look of incomprehensible shock on Ragna's face. Her face burning a bright red, Noel added, "Don't think I'm creepy or anything, I just wanted to get that…out…" She faltered once more and stopped walking, choosing instead to stare, embarrassed, at the ground.

Ragna felt that his brain had stopped functioning properly. He was completely right about Noel. There remained but one problem.

_**Now what, asshole?**_

* * *

**Author's Notes: There we have it! Chapter 4 is done with and I've left you all with a cliffhanger because I'm…a…jerk like that? Chapter 5 will be up eventually, I need to decide how I want it to work out. In the meantime, I think Ragna's Apartment and To (especially To) need a little TLC. As always, your comments are appreciated! Ta!**


	5. The Hidden Division

**Author's Note: Okay, this time I **_**really**_** don't have much to say here, other than I'm fixing up my writing a little more, and making it a bit meatier (paragraph length-wise) while trying to adhere more to technical conventions.**

Crimson Azure: Chapter 5

Wild, half-formed thoughts welled in Ragna's mind, screaming out poorly designed responses; declination and acceptance raged against one another, clamoring angrily for release. He felt compelled to clutch his head and shout at himself to stop thinking. He was right, as he had feared, and now he was faced with a variety of options.

**Okay. I can reject her right now and not have to worry. **_**And you can go right on feeling like the world's biggest and smelliest asshole.**_ **Or I can accept it and deal with everything that entails. **_**You mean being happy? 'Cuz I haven't really had that chance since...**_**Yeah, and now I have someone I have to worry about. Someone to lose, and someone to have to actively protect. **_**What's wrong with that?**_ **I'm the most-fucking-wanted criminal in the world. Terumi is trying to **_**kill**_** me. I'm destroying the NOL. **_**Yeah, that's a problem. Still, happiness is worth dying for.**_** I'm not destroying the NOL because it'll make me happy! I'm doing it for **_**revenge**_**. Happiness isn't a priority of mine right now. **_**Take a chance. I'm not a fucking child.**_** How about "fuck you?" **_**Fuck "me." Idiot.**_

It was clear to Ragna that he'd be unhappy in some way with either choice; he didn't particularly _want_ to reject Noel, but the circumstances involved certainly made the option more attractive than if they had been _anywhere_ with less problems. A relationship meant an entirely new set of problems, dangers and he would have someone to _worry _about. Single, there wasn't a single person to worry about but himself; if he died, it was of no consequence to anyone. Taken, on the other hand meant someone would sorely miss him.

"Noel, uh…about that…" He looked away awkwardly and noticed a figure growing on the horizon. It couldn't be…could it? "Wait, what the…Is that…IS THAT TAGER?" Ragna pointed at the horizon.

Noel pouted. "Ragna, that's the most transparent, cowardly…" The rest of her diatribe was cut-off, as he grabbed her and spun her around to face the horizon. There, a figure grew larger; the form it cast against the clear sky was unmistakable: it was the Red Devil, Iron Tager. Ragna ran, full pelt towards the horizon; behind him, he heard Noel puffing to keep up.

**Thank you, Tager. Thank you so fucking much. But…wait…I thought Tager was ahead of us…**

The massive figure looked down at the two and said calmly, "Ms. Vermillion, are you safe? And why are you with the Grim Reaper?" Ragna made an impatient noise. Tager studied Ragna briefly before nodding in understanding. "Thank you. We found Taokaka. She and Makoto are behind me, but I think Tao has been distracted by yet…another thing." His exasperated tone betrayed that the frequency of these occasions was getting to him.

"Well, speak of the devil," said Ragna. He pointed at two advancing figures. "Tao! What the hell is wrong with you? I told you not to run off!" The cat-girl recoiled away from the reprimand. Makoto, meanwhile, ran past Ragna and hugged Noel happily.

"Mew…Tao is sorry Good Guy! There was a squiggly in the trees! And Tao hates squiggly!" Ragna rolled his eyes. "But Furry Girl and Big Guy found Tao, meow! And…uh…that squiggly wasn't a squiggly." Her ears drooped, but perked up once she took notice of Noel standing behind him. "Hey! It's Lacking Lady!"

"Has everything been okay Noel?" asked Makoto, worry tracing the edges of her voice, "We hoped we'd find you in that forest, but after searching for almost four hours, we just found Tao instead." Noel nodded and gave a short explanation of how Ragna had found her. "Well, as long as you're okay. We stopped in a village that some townspeople said you'd already been in…What are you doing Tao?"

Tao had taken to attempting to fondle Noel, much to her embarrassment. "You need to eat more meat buns, meow. Then you won't be so lacking!" Noel whined and tried to pull herself away from Tao.

Ragna wheeled around. "Tao!" he barked, "Stop that. Makoto, did you say that…did you say that you got to the town _after_ us?" Makoto nodded. "Damn it…RACHEL!" Ragna stomped the ground angrily. "Why the hell are you doing this to me?" Fuming he seized the back of Tao's jacket and pulled her away from Noel. "Stop that. Now is not the time." He looked back towards the horizon. "Let's get moving. If we're lucky, we'll make it to the next town today."

"Is the next town that close?" asked Noel. She had thought there would have been greater space between towns out in the countryside. Ragna nodded. "It's not common, but yeah. There's another town nearby. Now let's get moving. Hopefully Rachel shows up so I can kick her ass." Ragna set off down the path towards the next town and beckoned the rest of the group to follow him.

As they walked, Makoto turned to Noel and asked quietly, "So how has travelling with Ragna been?" Noel fumbled for her retort, bringing out a stream of giggles from Makoto. "Sounds like something saucy happened Noel," she added slyly. Noel blushed a deep red and looked ahead to see if Ragna was listening; at the moment, he was preoccupied with his own fury at Rachel and exasperation with Tao's overflowing jubilance.

She whispered quietly, "Don't be ridiculous Makoto. Travelling has been…just…fine…" Makoto smiled more broadly and prodded Noel in the side, urging her to fess up. "Oh…alright," she relented; she dropped her voice even more, so that Makoto had to lean in to hear, "I…um…_accidentally_ told him something I shouldn't have."

Beaming, Makoto put her arm around Noel and pulled her closer. "You did it Noel!" she said happily. Under heavy shushing, she rolled her eyes and dropped her voice, "So you're an item now?" Noel shook her head and mumbled an explanation, looking constantly up at Ragna to ensure he wasn't eavesdropping. Makoto's smile faltered somewhat. "But…he did say something right?" Noel shook her head once more. With a frown, Makoto looked up at Ragna, "So he's just evading the question? That's not right…"

"To be honest, you guys did show up right as I told him…Not to say it's your fault or anything!" added Noel hurriedly. "But…well, he probably would have come up with some excuse anyway…I don't blame him…" Makoto patted Noel's shoulder reassuringly and regarded Ragna's back with mild dislike.

"Like it or not, he's gonna have to reply. And I'll help you!" she said merrily. Noel shook her head vigorously, attempting to muster a reply about being in no hurry to get an answer, but Makoto shot her down. "Nope! We'll get this sorted out in town. Just you watch." Noel whined.

_I was afraid of that…_

* * *

The group arrived in the town a couple of hours shy of sunset and began searching for an inn. As their search progressed, Makoto called out suddenly, "Wait! NOL officers!" Ragna instinctively reached for his sword. There were five of them, all dressed in red overcoats, shirts and pants. The tallest of the five turned around and smiled broadly.

"Well, well, the Reaper, Red Devil, two traitors and a…thing," said figure evilly. Tao looked about, confused ("Is there a squiggly here?") Rolling his eyes, the figure stepped forward; behind him, his comrades moved into a four-point formation behind him. "Funny, I was beginning to think this shithole was a waste of time."

"Who the fuck are you?" asked Ragna savagely, "I'm not in the mood for delays, and you look like one." The officer laughed cruelly.

"We represent a hidden branch of the NOL, Crimson Echelon," he explained slowly, "We are the spearhead for the Intelligence branch. They get the intel. We act on it, with extreme prejudice." Noel shuffled closer to Makoto. ("I've never heard of these guys before…")

"I've heard Captain Hazama talk about you before…just once though. You're little more than assassins sent out to do dirty political work," retorted Makoto, "So what are you doing out here? This is just a simply farming village. There's hardly anything of importance here that the NOL would be interested in."

The figure shrugged. "I was wondering that myself. But given that Captain Hazama just recently gave us the orders, he must have figured someone would turn up here. I guess he was right. But who would have thought we'd have made quite the catch, eh boys?" He laughed again. "I'm going to relish this Grim Reaper. We're not like that punch-clock soldier you have there." He gestured at Noel. "Now, d-"

The leader gagged; Ragna had rushed up to him and grabbed him by the neck. With pure malice in his voice, he shouted, "Where the fuck is Hazama? Tell me, or I swear to God I will _make you_." The figure clutched at Ragna's arm, trying vainly to free himself from his grasp. The four figures behind their leader made moves to draw weapons; everything happened in an instant. Behind the leader, Tager grabbed two figures and slammed them bodily into the ground; their crumpled forms lay motionless. Makoto rushed at a third figure and punched her full force in the face; she flew several feet back, skidding and skipping along the ground before crashing into a wall. The figure didn't get up. The last figure looked about quickly, and noticing the battle had been lost in a heartbeat turned tail and sprinted off. Noel fired off an aimed shot at the figure's back, hoping to incapacitate him. A huge hole tore through the cloak he wore, but what lay beyond shocked her: thin air. Somehow, the figure had evaporated, and the cloak fell listlessly to the floor.

"Im-impossible," choked the figure, "R-red Echelon…beaten…beaten in an instant…" He slackened his grip on Ragna's arm. "Now, start talking," snarled Ragna, "Because I _will make you._" The figure coughed and spat in Ragna's face. He wiped his face. "Have it your way. Noel, Makoto, Tao. Go find an inn to stay at. Tager and I will meet you there." Noel whimpered.

_I know what's coming…_

* * *

Less than fifteen minutes later, the leader was on all fours, spitting blood out of his mouth onto the ground; he looked up and was met with a swift kick to the face. Lying flat on his back and feeling his nose re-broken for the umpteenth time he sputtered, "Fine." He spat blood out of his mouth and continued, "Captain Hazama told us that the Grim Reaper had left Kagutsuchi, having successfully destroyed the branch, like so many others. We were already outside of Kagutsuchi on some classified work and were told to move to this town and patrol it for any sort of subversive activity. We didn't know you'd be showing up."

"What were your orders?" asked Tager evenly, "There must have been a reason for stationing you here."

The figure coughed again. "I don't know why. Perhaps Captain Hazama knew you'd be coming through here. I wouldn't put it past him; that man is one of the NOL's greatest intelligence gathering agents. Knows things I'd never dreamed could have been true…"

Ragna picked him up and held him at arm's length, fist clenched and threatening to punch a new hole in face. "What the hell does Terumi know?"

The figure smirked. "So you know about Yuuki Terumi, do you? Pity. I thought only people that really _mattered_ knew Captain Hazama's true identity." Ragna was taken aback by this; had Terumi never _once _mentioned him? The figure began to laugh openly before dissolving into a fit of hacks and coughs. "The look on your face…priceless. Of course, you know about Terumi. You're probably his number one target. Or as he phrased it, 'That lucky little shit wouldn't have made it past the _first_ branch he ever attacked if it weren't for that eyesore keeping him alive. Now that he has it, and somehow got it into his tiny brain that he can _use_ it, he needs to be stopped. Immediately.' Or something to that effect. He's probably in Ikaruga by now."

"Pretty big words for someone about to die," raged Ragna. With one swift cut, an arterial spray gushed from his neck. Ragna dropped the figure, where he writhed for a moment, spluttering before letting loose one last rattling gasp. He turned to Tager and mumbled, "Let's go. We've got everything we need out of him. Once we get to Ikaruga, I'm killing that bastard."

Tager sighed. "You should have kept him alive. We still don't know what Terumi is up to or why." Ragna scoffed. "He's out to kill me. Simple as that." Tager settled for looking troubled. There had to be more…

* * *

Noel sat on her hotel bed, fretting away as Makoto tried desperately to hammer in a single thought: "You need to confront Ragna about what you told him and force him to give you an answer. It isn't right to keep you hanging like, especially since it's causing you…uh…rather visible distress." Noel wrung her hat between her hands and shook her head. Makoto frowned. "Come on! Stop acting like this Noel! Just confront him! It'll go well; you just need to force him into a decision."

"Isn't that bad? I mean…shouldn't he answer on his own?" asked Noel. Makoto laughed.

"You'll be waiting for quite a while if you want him to answer on his own. Judging from how he reacted, he doesn't plan on answering…well…ever really," said Makoto candidly, "So you gotta get the answer out of him! Come on! You guys are even sharing the same room again!" Noel dropped her hat.

"WE'RE WHAT? Oh no…oh no…oh no…Makoto! That can't happen again! He'll just sleep somewhere else!" said Noel fearfully, "Ohhh…can't I just sleep with you and Tao?"

Makoto shook her head. "Naw…Tager's in our room. This inn was actually booked full with…uh…those Crimson Echelon guys…It's gotta be this way. Besides! You'll have a natural place to corner him about it!"

Noel picked her beret up again and began wringing it more furiously. "Makoto…I have a bad feeling about this…Are you sure this is the only way?" Makoto nodded cheerfully. Noel whined.

"Anyway! I gotta go get Tao settled, or else she'll just be bouncing around everywhere…I think it might have been a mistake to leave her alone in the room…Just confront him about it, ok? Things'll go fine!" Noel gave a faint noise of affirmation.

* * *

Outside the room, Makoto ran straight into Ragna. "Oh…I was hoping I'd run into you. I need to talk to you about Noel."

**Oh, shit. She told you, didn't she?**

"Uh…what about?" asked Ragna casually. Makoto frowned. "What?"

Makoto sighed. "Noel told me about what she said to you, and frankly, it's a little messed up what you're doing. She deserves a straight answer." Ragna made a noise that indicated an angry retort, but Makoto cut across him. "Look, I don't want to hear your reasons for it. Just give her an answer. And also…" Her voice dropped and her tone became much more serious, "I've told everyone I've ever met that deals with Noel this, if you hurt her in anyway, you'll have me to answer to. And that won't be pretty."

Ragna scoffed. "Right, I'll keep that in mind. Where's my room?"

Makoto raised an eyebrow. "You're with Noel tonight. Remember what I said. It only took one punch to put that Red Echelon chick out of commission. So I'd stay on your guard and watch your mouth." Ragna rolled his eyes and nodded.

"Yeah, I'll keep that in mind," he said. As Makoto walked away, he mumbled, "Pft. I'm _so_ scared." Upon opening the door to his room, however, all toughness evaporated from his being. Noel sat on the bed looking visibly distraught and, to make matters more awkward, was heavily blushing. "Uh…Noel? What's up?" Noel looked away and gulped.

_Okay…get him to come around to this side so you can block the door._

"Uh, it's nothing Ragna," said Noel untruthfully, "I'm just a little tired is all."

Ragna rolled his eyes and walked past her to set Blood-Scythe next to the bed. He threw his jacket casually onto a chair and lay down. "Well if that's the case, night." He rolled over and closed his eyes.

**That was easier than expected. Guess she can't work up the nerve after all. **_**Do I sense disappointment? **_**Fuck off. The less shit I've got to deal with the better. **_**I'm not going to sleep until she asks. Makoto made it quite clear that she was gonna ask me tonight to give her a straight answer. **_**Well maybe I don't know what the answer is, ok? I've got shit to deal with, and a girlfriend, especially **_**Noel**_**, is just going to cause problems.**_** Jeez, I make being happy sound like a bad thing. **_**I don't have time for this happiness shit! I've got people to kill. I've got Saya and Terumi and the whole fucking NOL breathing down my neck. Where the fuck do I have time for love? **_**Ha! I knew it. I know this tough guy act. Maybe if I had some kind of loving support I'd be able to fight better.**_** The fuck kind of logic is that? I don't need someone else to worry about and protect. **_**Bullshit. That's all I've wanted. Even if I have to do that, I've got someone to support me. Face it, it's not like I've had someone to do that for quite a while now. Master Jubei was probably the last person to actually worry about keeping me safe. **_**Yeah, and lately, I've been worried 'bout keeping other people safe. Quite a few people. **_**Noel included.**_** I don't need another headache right now! **_**Man up. Noel is one of the few people I know that actually worries about me. She cares about me enough to want to do this. **_**Ugh…you want it your way then? **_**My way. My. I'm you. Asshole.**_** Fine. Let her ask me. She's got to at least prove she's not gonna cower behind me the whole time. **_**Fair enough.**_

Ragna stared at the wall and lay deathly still. He could sense Noel moving behind him. Something gently touched his shoulder and then immediately let go. He made no response. Again, it touched his shoulder and pulled, turning him onto his back. Noel sat next to him, looking at him with a sad smile. "I'm sorry for putting you through what I told you this morning. I guess I should have expected you'd react that way. But…I'm serious. I won't get in the way…I won't bother you…I just…want to be with you…" Ragna sighed as tears began to well up in Noel's eyes. She let go of his shoulder and looked down, wiping the tears from her eyes.

_**Time to act, hero.**_** Yeah…yeah… "I" win or whatever…**

Ragna reached up and pulled Noel down onto him, her chin resting against his shoulder. He heard her sniffle. "Stupid," he said quietly, "Always stupid. This isn't the time to be crying."

"I'm afraid you'll hate me…or…something…" mumbled Noel.

Ragna placed a hand reassuringly on the back of her head and sighed once more. "I already told you Noel, I don't hate you. You can be annoying and weepy and shit…but you're a good person in the end."

Noel got up somewhat to look him in the face with a watery smile. "Ragna…will…will you go out with me?"

**Now **_**or**_** never, **_**Ragna**_**. Now **_**or **_**never.**

Ragna smirked and mumbled, "Thought you'd never ask, stupid." Noel opened her mouth to make a retort, but before she could Ragna sat up and kissed her.

Noel broke away after a moment and gasped, her face a brilliant crimson, "Ragna…what…what was that for?"

"Noel, rule one. Just go with it. No stupid questions," said Ragna teasingly.

Noel moved her lips closer to Ragna's and giggled. "Those are two rules, stupid." She kissed him.

* * *

**I'm sorry guys. That took for fucking EVER! I got bogged down in school and writer's block so…yeah… I hope you enjoy it though!**


	6. News From The Back

**Author's Note:**** Here we go again everybody! Sorry again for the delay, but it seems that it's almost become a part of me to be a lazy bastard. I mean…Um…I've been busy! Heh…**

Crimson Azure: Chapter 6

"C-Captain Hazama…er…Terumi!" panted a figure. He stumbled up to his superior and collapsed onto all fours before him. "R-Ragna…Ragna the Bloodedge! He's on the road to Ikaruga!"

Terumi lifted the brim of his hat and regarded his subordinate with intense dislike. With an air of supreme smugness he said, "Oh, really? I had no idea. Can you imagine? _That_ little shit on his way to Ikaruga? Oh _thank you_. I would have never known this had you not told me."

The figure looked up at Terumi with a look of pure terror on his face. "W-wait! There's more! I know more!" He wiped his forehead and continued shakily, "He's got people travelling with him!" Terumi threw his head back and laughed maniacally. _Worthless. Absolutely worthless._ On the verge of tears, the subordinate almost screamed, "NOEL VERMILLION!" Terumi turned about and cracked a single, yellow eye. Mouth dry, the subordinate licked his lips and said, "Noel Vermillion is with him. As is the Red Devil and that beastkin from the intelligence department…You know her! She's part squirrel. And…and…" He gasped for air-he was speaking at top speed, "And…and…this…this other…cat…girl…thing."

Terumi smirked softly. "_There,_ isn't life better when you tell me things that are _actually_ useful? Hmm…Rags and his little entourage…Quite the catch, don't you think?" He faked a gasp. "But…where is the rest of Crimson Echelon? I was sure the _most dangerous and well-trained_ officers of the entire NOL could bring in at least _one_ of his pals."

The man before him began to cry in earnest. "They…they're all dead! We….we didn't stand a chance! I'm….I'm the last officer in Crimson Echelon!"

Terumi smiled broadly. "Well…you _were._" The figure looked up at him, horrified, and shook his head. He threw himself onto his rear and began to back away, scrambling and struggling to get up. "Tsk, tsk. You can't even face your own fate. _Pity_." The figure was shambling away, crying hysterically. With a flourish, Terumi pulled the brim of his hat low over his eyes. A flash of silver slipped from his pocket and erupted with black energy. "OUROBOROS!" The figure went stiff and looked down blearily at his chest. A fanged snakehead, black as night, was poking through. With a shudder, it flew back out of his chest.

"Bitches don't know _shit._"

* * *

The steadily expanding bubble of peace and blissful oblivion that had formed about Noel and Ragna had burst. A maddeningly smug voice had punctured it with a few choice words. "Well, well. It would seem the dog has lost his bark as well." Ragna broke free from Noel's embrace and looked quickly in the direction of the voice-it was Rachel.

"You!" he exclaimed angrily, "You've got a lot of fucking nerve, you know that?" He made a move to get up from the bed but found himself almost fused to it; Noel was firmly holding onto his midsection and staring up at him with the air of a wounded puppy. His anger slowly dissolving, Ragna settled for looking fiercely at Rachel. "You mind explaining what the fuck you did this for, Rabbit?"

Rachel yawned and smoothed a crease in her dress. "Such coarse language," she said in a bored tone, "At least _someone_ can keep that hot, if empty, head cool. If you must know, then I'm afraid you may never quite know, Ragna. I've told you once before, you must learn that…"

Ragna cut across her. "I know, I know. Cut it out with your metaphors and all that other cryptic shit. I don't care! Enough with this mystery act bullshit. What the fuck is going on?"

With a smug smirk, Rachel looked Ragna in the face. "Why don't you tell me? Perhaps you'll prove you aren't nearly as idiotic as you look. If this little display is any indication, you surely have learned _something_." On that enigmatic note, she teleported from the room.

Ragna stared at the spot she once stood. "What the hell is that Rabbit playing at?" He felt Noel shrug her shoulders and put a tender hand to his cheek. Snapping out his fixation, he looked down at her and smirked. "I'll worry about it later."

The following morning dawned cloudy; a storm seemed to be brewing. Despite protests from Noel and Tao, the group set off for the next town after breakfast. As they made their way, they passed by the overcoat worn by the Crimson Echelon lackey that had escaped; Noel separated from the group to look at it. With interest, she picked it up and noticed that apart from the hole in its back, it was still in good condition. She pulled it over herself; it was surprisingly warm, but a bit too large-the sleeves drooped over her hands and the coat itself hung just below her knees. With a smirk, she returned to group, pleased with her new possession.

Ragna immediately raised an eyebrow when she rejoined them. "What the hell are you wearing?"

Noel smiled at him. "Well, it was just lying there. No one else is going to use it, so I might as well take advantage of it. Besides, now you won't be cold at night if I need a jacket. Um…" She blushed, "Unless…you want to…" She trailed off and looked away.

_Come on, you can't keep acting shy like this. You are technically a couple now._

Ragna dropped his voice and said quietly to Noel, "If you still get cold…just…let me know. You can…sleep next to me." Noel looked up at him with surprise and kissed him on the cheek.

**God, this is weird. **_**Don't pretend I don't like it.**_** Shut up. **_**Fine, act like a tough guy, I still won out.**_

"NOEL!" The couple jumped. "Why didn't you tell me this morning?" It was Makoto, who had turned to look back at the lagging duo. She ran up to Noel and pulled her away, giggling uncontrollably. With a quick look of apology she called back to Ragna, "You can have your girlfriend back in a minute."

Ragna stared for a beat and then caught up to Tager and Tao. Tao greeted him cheerily. "Hey Good Guy! Tao can't wait to get to the next town! Big Guy says there'll be food there, mew!"

"Jeez, Tao is that all you think about?" asked Ragna, rolling his eyes. "Anyway, there's food in every town. This one isn't going to be any different."

Tao began to bounce about. "How much longer 'till we get there?" Ragna shrugged and then laughed as Tao's face fell. "What do you mean Good Guy? Is the next town so far away even you don't knyow?"

Ragna sighed and said irritably, "No Tao. The next town is at least a day and a half's walk from where we are. But I didn't want to tell you that because we might run into trouble or something. So just shut up and keep moving or it'll be even longer." Tao nodded energetically and jumped on Tager's back.

"Come on Big Guy! Dontcha have some kind of rockets or something you can use, meow?" Tager wriggled somewhat in an effort to get her off. "Oooh! Are you gettin' ready to blast off?"

"Tao, get off of me," said Tager evenly, "I don't have any rocket boosters or anything of the sort. Unless Kokonoe can somehow manage to teleport me some, we'll be walking all the way to Ikaruga. Now please, get off of my back." Tager looked at Ragna meaningfully and quietly cursed the bulky nature of his arms. Ragna made an annoyed "tch" noise and pulled Tao off Tager.

"For fuck's sake Tao," said Ragna exasperatedly, "Just walk. It'll make all of our lives easier." He pushed Tao ahead of him and looked up at Tager. Tager chuckled and shook his head slightly. Ragna smirked and turned his attention to eavesdropping on Makoto and Noel's conversation.

"So what did you guys do?" chattered Makoto happily. "Ooooh, don't tell me…" Noel flushed and waved her hands erratically in Makoto's face, trying to shush her. "Ah! I knew it! Wow Noel, I didn't think you had it in you." Laughing at the mortified expression on her friend's face, the beastkin patted Noel's shoulder and said nicely, "I'm just kidding. You're not the type to go for that." With a smirk, she added, "Well, not _yet_ anyway."

Noel looked about quickly to see if Ragna was listening. Taking note of this, Ragna quickly pretended to be enormously interested in the sky and edged away from the two. After a moment, satisfied that he wasn't listening, Noel said quietly, "Makoto, don't be so vulgar."

_**That wasn't very vulgar.**__** Besides, I'd like it.**__ Agh! What am I saying? __**The…truth?**_

"Look, nothing happened. We really just…slept. I was tired and he was too. Besides, we only just started going out, it's not like…like we've been together for a while now or anything." Noel stopped and stared in horror at what she'd just let slip; that sentence implied so much more than she had meant to say.

Makoto's face split into a smile. "I get it. Gonna make him work for it, huh?" Blushing harder than ever, Noel settled for twisting her beret in her hands again and mumbling to the ground. "Lighten up Noel, I'm just kidding. Yeesh." Makoto's expression softened and she added tenderly, "I'm happy for you. You deserve something like this after…well, pretty much everything that's happened." She jabbed the air playfully and said, "Remember though. Any trouble, you come to me, got it?" Noel smiled and nodded.

_She's right._

"Besides, it'd be like a one-night stand if anything happened anyway," said Makoto. Noel buried her face in her beret. Ragna covertly shuffled away from the two and chuckled to himself.

**Jeez. Women. **_**I like the direction Makoto was taking that conversation.**_** That makes one of us. **_**So I disagree?**_** No, I agree. **_**Wow, never thought I'd willingly agree with myself.**_** Who the fuck wouldn't on this kind of issue? What do I take me for, a prude? **_**No, just a romantic.**_ **Hey! **_**Okay, a bit of a romantic.**_** Unbelievable. **_**Restraint breeds desire.**_** No, restraint breeds morning wood. **_**I think they both have a point.**_ **Whatever. It's not that important right now anyway. **_**I'm proud of me. Not so uncultured and vulgar as Rachel thinks I am, eh?**_

Ragna snapped back to reality and noticed the rest of the group were ahead of him. "Oh shit," he muttered. He sped up and came within a few feet of Makoto and Noel. He kept his pace close to theirs and looked about. Everything was just as uninteresting as ever. Rolling hills, trees, clear sky…the countryside was a borehole. Pleasant, yes. Peaceful, definitely. But by the Gods was it boring. Losing interest in the scenery he looked at Noel's retreating back and stared almost immediately at…

**Alright, maybe Rachel does have point.**

* * *

"Insanity. Absolute insanity. Terumi, the grasp you have upon this mortal coil is indisputably strong, but your grip with sanity is, I must say, of dire worry," said Relius calmly. "Nuclear weapons? Those are an armament of a bygone era. Little more than extras upon the stage we now dance so cautiously upon." He turned back to a plethora of screens spewing numerical data, graphs and diagrams. Before him, in a holding tank were the regenerating remains of the thirteenth Murakumo unit. Mostly it's remains anyway, bits and pieces of the eleventh unit were also recovered and the two showed, expectedly, enormously high synchronous levels for biological and technological restoration. "It is…unwise, and most destructive to set about infiltrating Sector Seven. Moreover, you wish to simply detonate a nuclear cache? Terumi, what possible purpose could that serve? There is a well of information that could be gleaned from that location."

Twirling his hat on his fingers, Terumi looked disinterestedly at the regeneration tank. "Well, it's something to do."

Relius looked back at his colleague and frowned. "Something to do? Terumi, _this_ is something to do. The Prime Field Devices are much safer and much more _effective_ at getting our objectives completed."

Terumi looked at Relius and raised an eyebrow. "_Safer?_ Relius, when the hell did you become such a _worrywart?_"

Relius sighed and turned back to his screens. "Terumi, there is a difference between you and I. Patience, calculation and deliberation are what define my ways. _You_, however, prefer to function as an agent of chaos; eternally impulsive and endlessly determined to cause as much trouble as possible. Your destructive, sadistic nature is an asset as much as it is a hindrance to the aims of this project. Detonating several nuclear devices within Sector Seven would cause major problems for the entire Kagutsuchi region, and depending on the weather, could produce an irradiated area…nevermind. Terumi, the operation risks total jeopardy should you do anything of the sort. Could something as simple as a glorified bomb put an end to our opposition, I would have been for it, but it will do little but complicate matters at this moment."

Terumi smiled insanely. "But what's the fun in taking over the world if you don't hit a few speed bumps now and again? Besides, people scream so much _better_ if they lose after thinking they've _won._" Relius looked back at Terumi with a small frown. It was, admittedly, an occupational hazard to have someone like him as a colleague. Scientifically, the man was disastrous to research and engineering. But when it came to delaying opposition, weaving confusion and sowing deceit and hate in the ranks of those who dare oppose him… Relius turned back to his screens. There is no progress without sacrifice.

* * *

Noel stared at Ragna's shadowed figure, bickering with herself.

_Come on…just go over and ask him if he wants some company. Come on! You're his girlfriend now! __**Don't think, just act.**_

Ragna slapped his face for the fourth time that hour and yawned. Tager believed it would be best for there to be someone on guard each night. They settled upon two hours shifts and Ragna was lucky enough to earn the first one. He stared sleepily into the black nothingness that surrounded the road they were following. Nothing at all had happened, and his shift was only half over. Feeling himself nodding off once again, he slapped his face for the fifth time. Certain it had left a mark, he cursed his own strength and stared, somewhat more alert, at the blackness around him. He couldn't sense anything at all, and then, he felt it. Something was approaching him from behind. The hairs on his neck tingled and then relaxed as two hands touched his shoulders and drifted down his chest, clasping themselves together on his stomach. He felt a chin rest on his shoulder and the soft face of Noel rub against his.

"Aren't you sleepy, Ragna?" she asked tenderly. Ragna reached up and caressed the Noel's cheek. "Mm...Would you like some company?"

"What are you doing up stupid? You need to get some sleep. I can't have you falling asleep on me on the way to the next town," said Ragna softly.

"That didn't answer my question. And don't call me stupid," she added in mock-injury. She kissed his cheek. With a sigh, Ragna nodded. The two lay upon the ground and stared up at the sky. Resting her head on his chest, Noel reached over and entwined her hand with his. "So…Ragna…you…you said yes. Why?"

Ragna smirked and shook his hand free. "Well if you'd rather be single…" Noel whined and grabbed his hand again. With a chuckle he said, "I dunno Noel. Maybe because you cornered me about it…maybe because Makoto threatened me…or maybe…" He smiled. "I dunno Noel. Maybe I just felt like saying yes."

Noel rolled her head over to look up at his face. "Really?" she whispered. Ragna, with difficulty, lifted his up to look down at her and nodded. She rolled herself onto all fours and bent down to kiss him. Ragna reached out and grabbed her sides to pull her frame down atop his. "Mmph…Ragna…" she said suddenly, "What…" Ragna smirked and pressed a finger to her lips before cupping her face and bringing her down to his lips again. Noel felt something soft and moist slide quickly across her lips. Obliging, she parted them and felt Ragna's tongue slip into her mouth, searching about hungrily.

Out of the darkness came a snickering voice, "Don't stop on my account, but your shift is over now Ragna. You can go to sleep." The two looked quickly over at the shadowed figure approaching them; it was Makoto.

Ragna rolled his eyes. "Thanks. It's not like we were doing anything." He got up and tugged Noel up with him. "Come on..." As they passed Makoto, she gave Noel a quick wink and thumbs-up before sitting next to a tree and staring out at the road.

Ragna sat down by a tree and leaned against it. Next to him, Noel sat down and rested her head on his shoulder. "Night…" she murmured, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. Within minutes, she was asleep. Smiling contentedly, he began to drift off himself.

** Alright, I guess this isn't so bad. **_**Told me.**_

* * *

"RAGNA! GET YOUR LAZY-ASS UP!" shouted an irritated voice. Ragna's eyes flew open and looked about wildly-Noel was nowhere to be found. He groggily reached for his sword and held it aloft.

"Who the fuck is that?" he shouted into the forest.

"It's me you simpleton! Kokonoe! I'm talking to you!" said the voice angrily. Ragna remembered the more invasive manner Kokonoe had of talking with him and cursed the Idea Engine.

"Fuck, what do you want? I _was_ sleeping…" he groaned.

"Get your ass, and whoever the hell else is with you right to Sector Seven. I've found out some interesting information that I need to test out immediately. It involves you and Noel," she said matter-of-factly. "Now hurry! I need you here-yesterday!" A small click indicated the connection had closed and Ragna moaned.

"God damn it Kokonoe. We're almost a week's walk from your fucking lab…HEY! TAGER!" shouted Ragna. He walked out onto the road and found Tager talking on a phone. "Hey! Kokonoe wants us back at the lab. Old bitch…"

"Yes, I understand Kokonoe, but how are…Really? Why would she cooperate with us?" Tager paused for a moment. "Well the circumstances are dire, but I was under the impression you didn't…Well, yes, I know desperate times…Very well Kokonoe. You know I have no qualms about this. When exactly…Fifteen minutes? I'll alert everyone. What about Ikargua?" Another pause. "Delayed until further notice. Alright. Have you already…yes, I figured. Should I bring along Taokaka? I know you don't much…very well." Tager hung up and tucked the phone away. He turned to Ragna and said, "Well, it would seem that Kokonoe needs us all back at Sector Seven. Pity to see us come out this far for nothing."

_**Oh, it wasn't all for nothing. **_**Shut up.**

"God damn it. What the hell does Kokonoe need to tell us that can't be done over the phone? Or in my own fucking head for that matter?" asked Ragna bitterly. "And where the hell are the others?"

Tager adjusted his shades. "I'd imagine they're taking a bath. There's a river nearby, after all. Rachel will be here in fifteen minutes to…"

"_Rachel?_ When the fuck did that Rabbit become so damned interested in getting shit done?" said Ragna heatedly. Clearly, her actions still hung heavy in his mind. "And she's what? Gonna teleport us?" He almost laughed when he saw Tager nod. "Great, so she can't fucking teleport us to Ikaruga, but hey, she'll just appear out of thin-fucking-air to get us to Wadatsumi. I swear Tager. This better fucking be worth it, or I'm going to…"

"Going to what, exactly?" said an elegant voice. With a snarl, Ragna turned to face the vampire. "My, my, such a fierce gaze; I daresay the woodland mammals run in fear of you. Ah…but where are the others?"

"Shut up Rachel. You're in no position to be acting so high and mighty when you're little more than a taxi service," spat Ragna.

"Atrocious!" said Nago, repulsed, "The Princess will have your head for this!"

"Yeah!" squeaked Gii. "Ow!" Reeling from the smack across the face he received, Gii righted himself dazedly. "S-sorry Princess…"

"Pay him no mind. Ragna, I do this not as a…"taxi" service as you so crudely put it, but out of urgency. If you can set aside your empty, hot head for just a moment and actually use whatever semblance of a brain you have between your ears, I can tell you why Kokonoe needs you." Ragna rolled his eyes and nodded. "Kokonoe believes she's found a synchronous protocol that permits interaction between Murakumo unit cores and her own Idea Engine."

Ragna stared. "What the fuck does that mean?"

"Neither of us are very sure. It's an anomaly; even I couldn't predict it," said Rachel simply. Ragna felt his anger slip somewhat. If even Rachel and Kokonoe working together didn't understand it, then it must mean _something_. Behind him, he heard several figures approaching; one of them hugged him from behind.

"Morning Ragna," said Noel cheerily. "What's going…Oh…Rachel? What are you…?"

"We're going to Wadatsumi. Immediately," said Ragna flatly. "Kokonoe's got some information for us there."

"What kind of…" began Noel. Makoto cut across her.

"We're going _to Wadatsumi_? What the hell was the point in going all the way out here?" she said, irritated.

"Does this mean Tao can have Boobie-Lady's meat buns again, nya?" cheered Tao.

"Wrong city Tao," said Ragna bitterly.

"All will be explained as soon as we arrive. Step through the portal," said Rachel, a trite irritated.

* * *

Ragna and Noel had barely stepped through the portal when a very irritable looking Kokonoe accosted them. "Finally! Could you have taken any longer? She pulled the two of the towards an enormous wall of displays. "You see this here? This is why I need you here."

Ragna stared. "I have no idea what the fuck I'm looking at Kokonoe," he said simply.

Noel nodded. "Yeah…um…what exactly is all this?"

Kokonoe sighed and popped a sucker in her mouth. "It's data calculations I've been running on Noel based off ambient readings Tager's been taking. Her synchronous rate with you is very high Ragna. Very, very high. Higher than Lambda's was."

Ragna shrugged. "And? So what?"

Kokonoe pulled the treat from her mouth and pointed it at Noel. "It means that Noel is still a tempered Murakumo. You didn't reverse the tempering."

* * *

**Author's Note: Well, another chapter down! Once again, another delay long enough to grow a beard to. I hope you enjoyed the chapter though!**

**I edited something. Sector Seven is near Wadatsumi, isn't it? Not Kagutsuchi. That's why Tager gets inserted outside of the 13th city in the first place...**

**Note to self: Use the wikia more.  
**


	7. The Ascendant

**Author's Note: Here we go again! In addition, the nukes are near Wadatsumi. Thank you Velvien. I made a pretty big oversight there…Eheh… The delay has been so massive that…that…yeah.**

Crimson Azure: Chapter 7

Ragna stared at Kokonoe. "The fuck are you talking about?" He scrutinized Noel. "She can't be tempered still-just look at her! What part of her is saying, 'I want to destroy the world and everything in it?'"

Kokonoe turned back to a computer console. "Of course she isn't like that anymore you idiot. You undid the tempering process as far the manipulation of her mind goes, but the tempering of her body is still very much so in effect. That's why her synchronous levels are so high with yours. Or rather…" She walked over to Ragna and pulled held up his left arm, "She's synchronizing with this. The Murakumo units are all capable of synchronizing together to an extent. Probably because they're cut from the same cloth…"

These words stabbed into Noel; she hugged Ragna and buried her face in his chest. He patted her back tenderly and mumbled a few words of comfort. "Don't worry. This can't be as bad as it sounds…"

"It's not, so you can stop worrying," said Kokonoe gruffly, "But it is puzzling. I need to run some tests on Noel to see what the hell is going on." Seeing Noel balk at this, Kokonoe added irritably, "I won't be poking you and shit. It's like a check-up but with fancier equipment. Now come with me. Ragna, I think _she_ has something she needs to tell you about." She nodded at Rachel in distaste and pulled Noel briskly through a set of doors along with Tager. The last Ragna heard of the three was Noel's frightened tone saying, "Don't I get a say in this?" followed immediately by Kokonoe responding, "No. Shut up. Stop being a baby."

Ragna grit his teeth and chased after the three; important or not, Noel was not an object for Kokonoe to do as she pleased with. Something solid and invisible stopped him, knocking him on his rear. Grinding his teeth in fury now, he turned to look at the insufferably smug vampire that stood before him. "Break. This. Fucking. Wall," he fumed. "Or God help me, I'll tear down _whatever_ I need to ensure it does."

Rachel yawned and regarded him with immense disinterest. "Such raw anger. A pity you so rarely channel it into something _worthwhile._ No matter. As much as I may not…agree…with Kokonoe and her methods, the Murakumo units are products of scientific research, and Kokonoe is a bit of an authority on them if your sieve-like memory has made you forget. Regardless, it is imperative that you let her continue her work. It may very well help us defeat Terumi."

Ragna's rage flickered and switched targets. "Terumi? This might help us kill that fucker?" He looked demandingly at Rachel. "How? What can Noel do now that could help?"

Rachel rolled her eyes and smoothed a crease in her dress. "I assure you, had I known that you would have been told already. You're not one for particularly insightful questions, are you?" Ragna's face curled into a snarl. "No matter. Hopefully, the increased synchronous rates could improve her abilities with her Nox Nyctores. But, I would guess that it could do something more…Her brief time as a brainwashed, tempered Murakumo was indicative of the enormous power within her. Your crude, but effective manner of breaking the hold Terumi cast upon her seems to have reset its dormant state, but there may be a way to coax it out without bringing upon us Armageddon."

Ragna balked. "You want her back in that form? The fuck is wrong with you two? Didn't you see what the fuck happened last time?"

Rachel looked disdainfully at him. "Again, you show your temper is four sizes too large for your brain. We do not seek to return her to such a destructive nature. There may be a similar…ascended form she can assume that will not wreak such wanton destruction. Only Kokonoe can judge that."

* * *

Noel struggled to keep herself covered, blushing wildly all the while. Each time she tried to speak, gurgles would erupt from her mouth and bubbles would form uselessly outside of it. Kokonoe looked over at the holding tank for the sixth time and said, thoroughly annoyed, "Will you cut it out already? I should have sedated you for this. God. You're being a pain in the ass. You can't talk. Just wait until I'm done. What are you flustered about? Being naked? Oooh, your tits are exposed. Big whoop." Kokonoe looked down at her chest meaningfully and then back up. "I have them too. Shut your trap and let me work in peace." She turned back to her panels and surveyed them.

_Ohh…what if Ragna comes in? I know he's probably trying to break in right now out of anger…Rachel, please, please keep him occupied long enough for me to get out of this thing!_

The flashing panels and fluctuating charts before Kokonoe made sense to precious few individuals. She was one of them. As the readings flowed in, thoughts swirled with increasing speed in her head. 'Hrm. She's definitely still a Murakumo unit. She's still tempered. She's still the powerful killing machine that Ragna supposedly put an end to. But she's acting like herself…_why?_' She looked over at Noel and put her hand up to her chin. 'No killing intent. No brainwashing remains. She's her usual, annoying self. Maybe if she summons her Nox. No…something more. She simply resonates with her Nox more effectively than ever now. If that form still flows beneath her, there has to be a way to bring it out. But the risks…would she revert? Damn it. I'll have to run a field test to be sure. I need to get a chamber ready. And I need…'

* * *

"Ragna. Kokonoe needs you in a testing chamber," said Tager, "She's not going to be running any scans or anything on you either, you just need to go into the chamber." Ragna looked warily at Tager and nodded. Tager turned about and stomped back down the hall. "This way." Ragna followed; the hallway branched off multiple times, leading God knows where. Occasional flashes of light issued from small observations windows, but nothing particularly alarming. Ragna yawned; the tedium and toil of the hard sciences had never interested him, though he couldn't argue with the efficacy of its results. He looked down at his left arm and grumbled. He _definitely_ couldn't argue with the results. "We're here. Step into chamber." He looked up and nodded curtly at Tager. Briskly, he crossed the threshold and looked about for Kokonoe.

"Hey! What the fuck do you want me in here for?" he shouted out. Something rapped him hard on the back of his head. "Ouch! The hell was that for?" He spun about, coming face to face with the scientist.

"Don't shout asshole. I'm right here. You sure you didn't need more than just a new arm? How about new eyes? I've got some prototypes I wanted to test on Tager, but I'd rather it be you in case it gets…messy," said Kokonoe waspishly. "Now shut up and step onto that platform."

He stared. "Really? You wanna tell me what the fuck it does?" he asked, annoyed.

She rolled her eyes, "It tears you a new one. The hell do you think it does? It's for readings! Now just shut up and get in it!" She shoved him onto the platform and stepped back. A tube slid down with tremendous force around him and lit up.

Ragna banged angrily on the tube. "Hey!" came his muffled voice, "Tager told me I wouldn't have to do any of this stupid scan bullshit!" Kokonoe rolled her eyes.

"Your fault for believing him. Now shut up. This won't hurt, and it should only take a minute or so," she said quickly before turning to the screens before her. Lights flashed, graphs fluctuated and several beeps sounded out. "Hrm. Well, everything's as I'd expect it to be. Strong. Apt with Ars. Thickheaded. Now, let's see how things will go with Noel. If I can manipulate the energies in both chambers just right…" She pressed a button and a second tube rose from out of the ground, housing a rather nude Noel Vermillion.

"Kokonoe! Can you please let me out of this thing already?" She seemed to be on the verge of tears and positively burst into them upon looking next to her, "Oh God! No! No! Ragna, look away!" She struggled to cover herself; this was not at all the way she intended for Ragna to see her nude. She had imagined it would be far more romantic. And, by convention, far more private. Ragna averted his eyes quickly, blushing visibly and rolled his eyes.

"Damn it Kokonoe! Why the fuck didn't you let her get dressed first?" shouted Ragna vainly against his crystalline prison.

With a scowl, the scientist tapped agitatedly on the keyboard before her and waved off the comment. "Bah. They're just body parts. Now shut up so I can see how you two synchronize…" She tapped a button and the two chambers immediately flooded with liquid. Ragna's eyes grew wide.

**Is she trying to fucking kill us! Wait…what the…I can…breathe?**

He turned to look at Noel with incredulity and she looked back, forgetting herself for a moment, her eyes as wide as his. Ragna nodded. She understood as well-how could they be breathing this liquid? Ragna's contemplation was abruptly interrupted when he noticed her naked form. With a slight blush, he looked away. She was beautiful. Noel must have snapped out of her confusion as well, because, with a gurgling yelp, she covered herself again and turned away. He looked back at Kokonoe and banged on the tube. He struggled in vain to shout at her, "What the fuck is this shit?"

Kokonoe took one look at his struggling figure and realized immediately what he was asking. "It's oxygen-rich perfluorocarbon. Which is a fancy term for breathable liquid. As long as you don't panic and start thinking you're going to drown, you'll be just fine. Now bear with me. The lungs are meant to breathe liquid for so long anyway…" She typed with incredible speed and within five minutes, the tubes had been drained and raised. Noel took this opportunity to immediately sprint directly for the door to the room that held her clothing. Ragna chose to ignore her streaking figure and looked angrily at Kokonoe.

"What the fuck was that? Why the hell was she naked? Why the hell was I locked into a tube? The fuck did you do to us?" His rapid stream of questions were cut off by the scientist's raised hand. With an angry glare he said shortly, "What?"

"I'm trying to tell you, but you can't seem to shut up for just one damn second," she said agitatedly, "I think the synchronous rates between you and Noel can be exploited. She's still a tempered Murakumo, and the readings that test give me…well, _gave_ me an idea. I'm pretty sure that it'll work-especially looking at these results. I need to devise a way for getting Noel to slip back into her tempered form, but also retain her current mindset."

"Yeah, yeah," said Ragna impatiently, "Rabbit told me already. That's fucking dangerous. What if you fuck up? Huh? You got ANOTHER arm to give me when I have to do damage control?" Kokonoe rolled her eyes. "I say we figure out a different way to defeat Terumi. One that doesn't fucking require almost destroying the world again."

Inwardly, Kokonoe felt a stab of guilt. An annoyingly familiar mask floated into her mind, and with it an angry, accusatory tone. _Do you know what those things are capable of?_ She waved it from her thoughts. What she was doing was necessary. Terumi's existence necessitated it. She knew the risks, and by God, she would take them. Ragna's angry shouts brought her back to reality. "Listen you idiot," she said sharply, "I know exactly what I'm doing. And yes, I have another arm for you, so don't worry about not being able to jerk off."

Ragna noticed Noel shuffle quietly back into the room, her face still brilliantly red and seemed to be trying her best to shrink into nothingness. He looked over at Noel and upon feeling his face grow warm again turned back to Kokonoe. "And another thing: why was she naked? Is that really necessary?"

"Yes," she explained, "it is. Clothing is full of impurities, and the tests I ran required a sterile environment. So stop whining. It's not like you're actually bothered with seeing your girlfriend naked. Jeez." He blushed and mumbled something incoherent. "Anyway, that's not the point. To get Noel to "activate" her Murakumo form again, we need to recreate the types of energies the Cauldron generated. I'm just not sure how…"

"Well, it seems to me you just power the Cauldron the same way Terumi powered it," came an elegant voice. The three turned to look at Rachel as she descended towards them. "Souls. The entire Kagutsuchi branch is devoid of all personnel because of the souls Terumi harvested to temper Noel. I would imagine that is the key." Kokonoe scrutinized Rachel before nodding slowly. If she hated anything more than being wrong, it was seeing someone like _Rachel_ be right.

Ragna spat bitterly. "And where do you expect us to get those souls, Rabbit?" She scrutinized him and then smirked.

"You must tell me one day how you manage to waver between occasional insight and utter idiocy," she said eloquently, "It would be of great interest to me. But, to answer your question, I propose you think for a moment, hard as that may be, and consider where the energy of souls might else be garnered."

With a scowl, he turned inward and thought. Brief flashes of imagery crossed his mind. A shadowed figure. Blood splatters. A twitching arm. Searing, conscious rending pain. Maniacal laughter. A cool material. Shouts. Blades clashing. A huge, sweeping slash. Bodies lying lifeless. His eyes flew open and found his Azure Grimoire immediately. He held it up and stared in awe. "This?"

Rachel nodded grimly. "You are the scourge of the entire Novis Orbis Librarium, responsible for the utter destruction of several of its branches. I would imagine your Grimoire is bursting at the seams with soul energy. Or do you forget yourself so quickly?"

Kokonoe cut across them. "Alright then, if he's got the energy for it, then we need to get him to manipulate it. It might be what we need to trigger the transformation."

"Who the fuck says I'm going to agree to any of this? I'm not fucking up Noel just to have a weapon against Terumi!" shouted Ragna angrily.

"Damn it Ragna, this isn't the time for stupidity! There's more at stake than you know!" yelled back Kokonoe, "And we need to do all we can to stop Terumi!"

"Fuck that! Fuck YOU! You really think I'd do something that fucking stupid? Especially to _Noel_ of all people?" spat Ragna bitterly. "Piss off."

"Both of you stop!" yelped Noel. Ragna and Kokonoe looked immediately at her, bewilderment etched equally across their faces. Rachel's face, however, held the softest smirk. "Please…don't fight. This is what Captain Haza…I mean, Terumi does, right? Tear people apart both physically and emotionally? We can't let him do that…" She seemed to be near tears. "Ragna…I know you're worried…but…" She faltered. "We should listen to Kokonoe. It's the only chance we've got right now."

"But…Noel there has to be some other way! We haven't even looked at alternatives yet!" Ragna's voice was steeped in worry; losing Noel before would have been excruciating. Losing her now would be unbearable. "Kokonoe, you're the damn scientist here, why the hell is this the only way?"

Color rose steadily in Kokonoe's cheeks before she said abruptly, "You wanna know what the alternative is shit head? Follow me." She bustled off, the three of them following. Within minutes they had entered a darkened room. The echo of their footsteps betrayed its size. She pressed a button on a darkened wall to her right and after a pause, a cascade of floodlights flickered on, revealing a sea of ominous domes that seemed to extend sharply downward. She turned to the three, eerily illuminated, face set with cold determination; "This is Plan B, Ragna. There is no Plan C. Make a decision."

Ragna stared at the sea of missiles. He opened his mouth to speak, but his endeavor was fruitless. Again, he tried. Again, he failed. At last, it was Noel who spoke, her voice trembling, "Let's do it Ragna. I'd rather risk myself than let her use those."

Rachel's face remained impassive. _Nuclear missiles. Kokonoe…what would your mother think? This is most pressing. I must speak with her privately on this matter. Those weapons will do little against Terumi; he is nigh immortal. The region however…is anything but._

"Alright. Fine. I'll try. If this goes bad though Kokonoe, I swear to God…I'll…" Ragna trailed off. "Ugh. Fuck it. Let's just get this over with."

* * *

Ragna stood in the middle of a testing chamber, Noel standing before him. Kokonoe was nearby at a panel, monitoring, as usual, several screens of data. Rachel sat next to her, sipping tea idly. "Alright! Start channeling that energy!" called out Kokonoe.

"Noel, if anything happens…I…" started Ragna. Soft lips silenced him, while tender hands melted the worry that had been solidifying in his stomach. Noel pulled back for a moment and looked at him lovingly. "Alright," he said more confidently, "I'm ready. Are you?" She nodded. "Restriction 666 released. Dimensional interference field deployed. Now engaging the Idea Engine. Azure Grimoire, activate!" A familiar aura erupted about Ragna. Kokonoe's screens showed an increase in synchronous between the two, but nothing yet resembling Mu's readings.

"You need to do something else! Go deeper than that!" said Kokonoe.

Ragna stared at his arm. **Deeper? The fuck? What do I do?** He searched wildly through his mid for something to nudge him in the right direction. Then, he heard it. A soft groaning. Consistent. Otherworldly. Fear crept through his body. **Is that a fucking ghost? I swear to God, if it's a ghost.** The moaning did not rise in volume though, it stayed consistent-barely audible. **It's got to be...somewhere in here…Wait. In here…** He looked at his arm with dawning comprehension. His focus shifted to it. The moaning grew louder. It was an even, steady tone, echoing. He sharpened his focus even more; it sounded like a collective moan from some sort of apparition. Then it hit him. The moaning filled his ears. It was unbroken. Hundreds of voices moaning in perfect unison, creating a macabre harmony in his head. His Azure Grimoire had imprisoned the souls. They were relegated to a fate worse than Hell. "Ah…fuck!" said Ragna audibly.

"What? What is it?" asked Noel quickly. The worry etched upon her face only deepened at his sudden cry.

"Its…it's this moaning…It's in my head! I can barely fucking hear you!" said Ragna through clenched teeth. "Just…give me a second." The moaning was growing ever louder in his ear; it felt as if his eardrums might burst. He looked down at his Grimoire-it was beginning to vibrate more violently then it ever had before. The glow emanating from it was growing more vibrant and had begun to pulse. **More! I need to just…FUCK! **He felt as if his arm might shoot off his body; it shone a bright crimson, black energy erupting from it. The screens feeding Kokonoe information were fluctuating wildly.

"Ragna!" shouted Kokonoe, "Direct that energy at Noel! It just might work!"

Ragna looked at Kokonoe in bewilderment. "Are you fucking kidding me?" he shouted back, "You want me to kill her? Look at my fucking arm!"

"Just do it! Please!" shouted Noel. Again, Ragna was stunned. He looked at Noel, who stared back with determination. "Listen to Kokonoe. I'll be alright. I promise." He wanted nothing more than to shake his head, but the vibrations and the moans were becoming unbearable. With grit teeth and closed eyes turned an open palm towards Noel. Something gripped Noel, and she reacted on instinct upon seeing the dark mass of energy flying at her. "BOLVERK!"

Kokonoe shielded her eyes, and Rachel brought forth Nago to block the sudden, intense burst of light. The walls trembled; it felt as if a massive wind had blown through the entire area. The light withdrew, centered upon the floating mass before Ragna. Through squinted eyes he stared at it when it exploded outward. Dots now flashing in his vision he looked dazedly up at a floating figure. Noel hovered before him and descended before him gracefully. Her boots and hat had disappeared entirely, leaving her hair to float freely, and a hole the size of a dessert plate had appeared where her tie was knotted. The sigil upon the base of her throat was glowing brightly. In her hands was Bolverk, glowing blue and red and floating behind her were eight blades, much longer than Lambda or Nu's had been, and housing what appeared to be barrels. She whipped them gracefully about her body and locked them into a wing-like formation behind her body. Slowly, she leaned forward and kissed Ragna tenderly. He gaped back at her.

"You're…beautiful…" stuttered Ragna.

"No," said Kokonoe, a look of triumph on her face, "You're perfect. Terumi. Is. Fucked."

* * *

**Oh Christ. College. Laziness. Other things. –cough- League of Legends –cough- I'm sorry guys. I hope it was at least worth the wait!**


	8. The Burden

**Author's Note: **_**Muß es sein?**_** I read it quite some time ago. Have you?**

Crimson Azure: Chapter 8

"And now, we need this tested…" said Kokonoe gleefully, "Tager! Get yer butt in here!" Heavy stomping grew gradually louder until Tager's large frame came through a nearby doorway.

"What is it…oh my. Is that Ms. Vermillion?" asked Tager, momentarily stunned.

"You're damn right it is," she responded, "And you're going to spar with her!" Tager looked taken aback. "Don't give me that look Tager! Get in there and test out her capabilities! I have to know for certain that this will help us crush Terumi."

"Kokonoe, see reason for a moment. Terumi is an enormously capable fighter and nigh unassailable," responded Tager, exasperation creeping into his tone, "Would I really be a good judge of Ms. Vermillion's capabilities?" Kokonoe made an agitated noise and waved off the remark. With a sigh, he turned to Noel. "As you wish Kokonoe." He vented his gauntlets and charged at Noel. With a flourish, she whipped the blades about her body and struck him successively with the dulled sides of the blades into the air, following up with several restrained shots from their barrels. Tager flew several feet, landing heavily on his back. "Ughh…" He got to his feet, and Noel was upon him. Blunt edges assaulted his body, and a heavy blast sent him flying back once again, colliding painfully with the wall. "Kokonoe, Ms. Vermillion is holding back and I can _barely_ take the abuse, much less attack. I suggest you terminate this exercise."

She stared with badly suppressed glee at Noel and approved Tager's suggestion. "This is even better than I thought. Alright Noel, that's enough, shut off that form." Noel stared at Kokonoe and then looked down at herself. "Noel? That's it. Shut it down."

Noel made an indistinct noise and said meekly, "I don't know how." Her voice echoed as if there had been several of her saying it at once, but it retained its trademark softness. Ragna suppressed a wide grin and chimed in.

"I think I know how." He looked down at his Grimoire and held it up before closing his hand into a tight fist. With a shout, the energies emitting from it retreated back into his arm, and the belts that looped it tightened. Noel shone for a moment before crashing rather clumsily to the ground. He staggered briefly and let out a low sigh. "Whoa. I suddenly feel…really tired. Oh shit, sorry Noel."

"Oww. Ragna…why didn't you warn me?" she said painfully, "That hurt…" She got shakily to her feet and almost fell over again. "My legs feel like jelly…I can't feel my arms…" She stumbled over to Ragna, who caught her in an embrace. "I can't really feel anything…"

"Hrm. It looks like this process puts a heavy drain on you two. I wonder if it's only felt after or if you start to get worse the longer it lasts…" said Kokonoe aloud. "Hrm. Ah! Perfect, I left the sensors on. This should help me figure this out. Tager, escort them out- I have a lot of work to do. Get back here once you're done." With a nod, Tager ushered Ragna and Noel towards the door; Rachel, however, walked over to Kokonoe and engaged her into deep conversation.

With the three gone, Rachel said firmly. "This process is disastrous on their physiology. You may have not had the foresight to maintain careful watch on their bodies, but _I_ did. Consult your data, you'll find it rather dire." Kokonoe rolled her eyes but felt herself almost immediately swallow her cynicism. Rachel was right. Forcing Noel back into a tempered form wreaked havoc on her body, particularly her nervous system, which seemed to have been suffering from traumatic shock the entire time. Any sort of external stimuli would have gone unnoticed, be it a tickle or a puncture wound.

"Shit. Shit. SHIT! The perfect weapon against that bastard and it has to almost fucking kill them? Can't she regenerate? She's like Lambda for crying out loud!" Kokonoe scrolled through the data and looked up Ragna's diagnostics. "GOD DAMN IT. It's the same damn story for him too?" Ragna's vital signs were significantly steadier than Noel's, due in part to his resilience and the Grimoire attached to his arm, but also because he was simply channeling soul energy, not actively fighting. Nevertheless, the process tore apart his body, inducing an adrenal response that effectively put his entire form into a constant adrenaline rush, inducing huge strain on his heart. "This is all tech and ars based. There shouldn't be such a terrible strain on those two. For God's sake, Ragna was just standing there!"

"You seem to be clouded by your hatred of Terumi. You and Ragna both are hopelessly hindered by your passions and refuse to see a situation clearly, whenever he is involved. The two are vessels for enormous power, and channeling such power will produce, predictably, great strain on the container. You are attempting to fill a capped vase with more water than it can hold-it is to be expected that the vase begin to crack. Do not let them use this power any longer. It could-no, _would_ be the death of them," said Rachel. Kokonoe grimaced.

"It's…the ultimate weapon though," she said desperately. Rachel raised on eyebrow. Kokonoe was not one to show weakness.

"Perhaps you are unfamiliar with what _ultimate_ truly means. It means _final._ This ascended form is powerful. It is destructive. It may indeed best Terumi. But you, if you think yourself intelligent at all, know what its use will incur," said Rachel with finality. She turned about gracefully and stepped up to a portal that opened before her. "Your judgment is clouded. As a woman of science that is as disastrous as this new form can be. It is certainly as disastrous as what you hide beneath these floors. For shame." These last words echoed as Rachel stepped through the portal, leaving Kokonoe alone to miserably contemplate them.

* * *

Tager pushed open a door that led to a small room, furnished with a bed, a small table and two chairs. "I apologize for the accommodations, but this visit was unexpected. This lab isn't really meant to be home…unless you're Kokonoe, I suppose," he said sincerely.

Noel smiled and thanked Tager. "This is better than sleeping on the ground though," she said cheerily. Ragna nodded to Tager in thanks. He turned about and stomped back to Kokonoe's testing chamber.

Noel walked with some difficulty over to the bed and plopped onto it. "Wow…I can finally feel my arms and legs again…although…" She yawned. "I'm exhausted…" Ragna closed the door behind him smirked internally.

**Time to have some fun.**

"Well, you're not going to bed just yet," he said teasingly. He hopped onto the bed, holding himself over Noel's frame, his face inches from hers.

Noel blushed violently and stammered out, "B-b-but…Ragna…I-I'm tired…A-a-and…um…I th-think it's a little too early for th-that…" Ragna furrowed his brow.

"To early for what exactly?" he asked, confused.

Noel's faced turned, if possible, redder. "O-oh! Um…nothing!" She giggled nervously. "N-nothing, I wasn't saying anything…"

_Oh god, shut up! Why did I have to go and say that!_

Sensing the evasion, Ragna smiled coyly and said, "Well jeez Noel, I just wanted to make out…" Noel made a small noise of surprise and looked away, embarrassed. "I mean, my mind didn't _go straight to the gutter_. And I'm the guy here."

"Ah! I…I didn't mean that! I thought…I thought…" she stammered.

"You thought what?" said Ragna, smiling broadly now, "Lies! Don't be stupid now." He tickled her sides.

Laughing, Noel reached down to stop Ragna. "S-stop!" she giggled, "C-come on! I s-said…" Noel leaned up and kissed Ragna passionately. The tickles ceased at once, replaced instead with a loving embrace. The two rolled about on the bed until…

"Ouch!" Ragna felt himself hit the ground with a hard thud. Noel lay atop him, hair messily covering her face. "Sorry about that…" Noel got up slowly from his chest, straddling him and looked down through the tangled mess, breathless.

**Alright. Get off me. Please. If you don't, you're going to be acquainted with something very hard, and I have no idea how you'll react to that right now. **_**Shut up! Noel! Move back just little bit! It's right there! Right behind you!**_** Shut up!**

Noel reached down and gently grasped Ragna's hand. "Uh…Noel? What are you…" She guided his hand slowly up to her stomach and then trailed it upwards. "Noel…what…" Ragna's hand slid gently up the fleshy mound, where Noel molded his hand into a cup. She bent down and caressed the side of his face.

"I trust you, Ragna. Maybe not…all the way…but…" Ragna gently squeezed her breast. "Ah…at least enough for this…" She bent farther down and kissed him.

**Trust, huh? **_**Yeah. Trust. Did you forget about that word?**_** I haven't trusted anyone in ages. **_**At least you used the past tense.**_** Shut…yeah…**

Ragna sat up pressing himself farther into the kiss. He reached up and cupped both of her breasts, massaging them gently, and eliciting small moans of pleasure from Noel. Ragna carefully worked his hand under Noel's dress and slid careful fingers up her stomach. Noel gasped and looked into Ragna's face. He stopped and stared, worried before Noel closed her eyes again and kissed him once more. Relieved, he trailed his hand steadily upward before feeling the soft cloth of her bra.

**Uh…If I remember correctly…**

He tried to gently lifted Noel up into a sitting position to reach around behind her back. Noel broke from the kiss and giggled. "Stupid…" Ragna pulled back his hand, apprehensive. She reached down and pulled the dress off her body, before turning her back to him. He unclasped the bra and slid the straps off her shoulders. Noel turned to face him, red in the face, and holding the cups to her chest with her arm. Slowly, she dropped her arm and let the bra fall softly to the floor. Ragna reached up and gently fondled them. He pressed her onto her back and bent his head down, and lightly licked an erect nipple. Noel gasped and instinctively clutched the back of his head. Feeling a bit more daring at this response, Ragna opened his mouth and gently bit her, sucking softly. He stopped for a moment and glanced briefly down. He felt his face grow hot.

**Oh…shit. I forgot. She doesn't wear…fuck.**

Noel took notice of the sudden cease in activity and looked up at Ragna in a pleased daze. "Why'd you stop?" she whispered. Taking notice of his stares, Noel went bright red again.

_OH GOD, I'M NAKED._

She instinctively crossed her legs, and sat up, covering herself with her hands. "Hey! Don't press your luck!" she said accusingly.

Ragna laughed. "Hey! Don't accuse me, you're the one going commando here!" Noel turned about, pouting. "Come on now, Noel. I was just kinda shocked is all. I forgot about that. And it looks like you did too."

Noel suppressed a smile. "N-no. Shut up." She pulled her dress back on. Ragna smirked and grabbed her by the waist. "Hey! That…ah…" He pulled her up into a kneeling position and kissed her neck softly from behind. "What…are…" He worked his hands forward, pulled her dress up over her breasts, and caressed them softly. "S-stop…that…" She felt like she was melting at his touch.

**I think I'll press my luck. Just a little bit. **_**Asshole.**_** Oh? **_**I'm kidding. Do it, you lecher.**_

Ragna worked one of his hands steadily down across her stomach. "Ragna…what are you…ah…" His fingers had reached just above her womb and were tracing small circles. "P-pervert…"

The door flew open. "Noelleeeeeeeeeeeeee~" sang a voice, "I heard you were…" The voice came to a dead stop. Ragna felt the blood drain from his face and turned to stare directly at the intruder.

_**You forgot to lock the door. Idiot.**_

_He forgot to lock the door. Idiot._

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" shouted Makoto. Noel broke from Ragna's grasp and hastily pulled her dress down over herself. Ragna let go of Noel as if he had been burnt.

"Nothing!" said the two simultaneously, "We were just…" The two looked at one another and almost laughed.

Makoto's expression softened. "Lock the door. Jeez. I don't want to walk in on your private time," she said exasperatedly. "At least you were decent Ragna. Definitely didn't want to see that." Ragna opened his mouth to argue, but a sharp nudge from Noel shut his mouth immediately. "Anyway, you guys wanna get something to eat? That's why I stopped by." The two nodded and followed Makoto out. As the two walked out into the hall Ragna reached over and quickly pinched Noel's rear.

"Ow. Hey, what was that for?" said Noel defensively, looking over at him.

"Nothin'. Just a reminder really," said Ragna teasingly.

"Of…what?" She looked at him warily.

Ragna smirked. "Gonna be a fun night," he whispered. Noel covered her face.

_**And how. **__Shut up!_

Makoto looked gleefully back at Noel and pulled her over to her side; questions were bubbling under her expression. "And now you tell me everything," she whispered to her. Noel whined.

* * *

Out in the streets of Wadatsumi, the trio meandered for an hour before settling upon a small noodle shop tucked away in the corner of the city level. Once settled inside the three opened their menus and set about choosing lunch.

"I didn't realize how hungry I was until you mentioned food Makoto," said Ragna, his face buried in the menu. "Channeling that energy takes a lot out of you."

Makoto looked over at him, puzzled. "What are you talking about?" she asked.

"Oh, right, you weren't in the testing chamber. Where were you anyway?" asked Noel.

"I was busy getting doing some research on some recent information we've received about Terumi," she explained. "Truth be told, there isn't much to go off of. Man, I wish it was as easy as just waltzing up to his hideout and kicking the door in."

Ragna smirked. "I like that plan. Sounds familiar. It's a good technique, especially if you're looking for a fight," he said. "Anyway, in that testing chamber we figured out a way to temper Noel's body back into that form Terumi stuck her into, only kinda modified. Without the whole psycho-bitch thing though."

Makoto narrowed her eyes. "I don't like the sound of that," she murmured. "Noel? Were you ok with this?"

Noel looked down at her hands and fiddled about with her chopsticks. "I…um…I don't have a problem with it really. I was just…worried is all." She looked up, her expression somewhat brighter, "After all, it worked just fine didn't it? I'm okay and everything! Well…tired, but, um…I'm fine." She smiled.

Makoto considered her friend for a moment. Noel was subject to bullying, a bit of a pushover in some cases, but was still very devoted to those she cared about. Perhaps she was okay with the experiment, or perhaps she just wanted everyone else happy. It was still hard to tell. After a brief pause, she nodded and returned the smile. "Alright Noelee, as long as you're okay with it."

"So, what can I get you three?" The waitress had arrived. The three ordered and launched into frivolous conversation.

* * *

The soft sound of a fist gently rapping against metal resounded into the room. Ragna opened his eyes blearily and sat up, yawning. He had turned in early with Noel after they got back from the restaurant, or at least, such was the initial plan. It only came to fruition roughly two hours after they had locked themselves away. He got to his feet, shirtless and shoeless and meandered over to the door before stopping and turning about. He rubbed his face and walked back over to cover Noel, clad only in undergarments. The sound echoed out again and with the beginnings of annoyance said quietly, "Shut up. I'm coming." He unlocked the door and cracked it open. "What?"

"It's me," said Kokonoe, "I need to talk to you. In private. Now."

"Alright fine, just let me…" began Ragna.

"No. Now." She pushed the door open and grabbed him by the arm, dragging him briskly out of the room. Ragna reached over in time to close the door before letting himself be led away. The metal floor felt like ice on his bare feet, and the cold air of lab chilled him.

**Damn it Kokonoe. I want to go back to bed.**

The two arrived back in the testing chamber, where Kokonoe pulled up several diagnostic screens and turned about to face Ragna. "This new form is dangerous. It could easily kill you or Noel if it is needlessly prolonged," she said baldly. Something in her features twitched. She was expecting something. It came.

Ragna seized by her small shoulders and lifted her into the air. All feelings of restfulness had vanished, replaced instead with blinding fury. "EXCUSE ME? YOU WANT TO RUN THAT BY ME ONCE MORE?" he screamed.

Kokonoe sighed and said calmly, "Shut up. You'll wake everyone. Put me down and I'll explain."

"No. Fuck you. Explain yourself and then I'll put you down," he growled.

Kokonoe sighed again and said evenly, "This new form puts huge strain on your body and hers. Your heart could give out if you keep channeling soul energy for too long. As for Noel…well, she might not die, but she could possibly never feel again. Her nervous system is wrecked by this new power. Fortunately, she's be culled from stern roots, and can thus regenerate it quite quickly. She is Mu-12 after all."

Ragna dropped Kokonoe and pointed a menacing finger at her. "Her name is Noel," he shouted, "She's not one of those fucking things."

Kokonoe lost her temper. "Listen, you fucking retard. Noel is as much a Murakumo unit as Lambda and Nu were, got it? You can call her whatever you fucking like; it doesn't change what she was originally designed to be. And you should be god damn grateful that she was. If this were done to a regular person, they would have died right then and there. So count your lucky stars that your girlfriend didn't keel over the moment you stopped channeling. And you should consider _yourself_ lucky too. I'm surprised your heart didn't give out."

"This is fucking bullshit Kokonoe," snarled Ragna, "What the fuck was the point to all this then? Here's something that might finally kill that bastard and then you tell me it might kill _us_ too? What the fuck is the deal?"

"I didn't KNOW, alright? This new power you guys have is useful, but it'll kill you unless I can figure out some way around this mess," she snapped back.

"Do you even think ahead? What the fuck kind of scientist are you? 'Oh fuck, they died, I better adjust this experiment.' Is that what you do?" asked Ragna.

Kokonoe had had enough. "SHUT UP." Her voice cracked. "I want this bastard dead as much as you do. Maybe more. I'm sorry. Okay? I'm working right now to figure out a way to fix this mess, so if you'd just lend me some fucking support…"

"The fuck did Terumi do to you, huh? In case you haven't noticed, he tore off my arm, turned Jin into a nutcase, did God knows what to my fucking sister, turned Noel into a brainwashed plaything, killed Nu or Lambda or whoever that was and _nearly killed me_," Ragna shouted back. "You want to tell me what the fuck it is you want this guy dead for?" Kokonoe turned away from Ragna and started walking towards the exit. "HEY! I'M ASKING YOU SOMETHING!"

Kokonoe turned about and stared at Ragna. "In due time. Go back to bed. I have work to do," she said quietly. She turned about again and left. Ragna chased after her, determined to get an answer, but she seemed to have all but vanished the moment he made it into the hallway to the testing chamber.

"Where the fuck did…" He looked about. With a sigh, he muttered, "God damn it Kokonoe," and walked back to his room. He opened the door to the room quietly and crept inside. With a soft click, he shut the door and locked it.

**What do I do? Tell Noel? **_**Is that really such a good idea? She didn't seem to like the idea in the first place, now you wanna hammer something else into her?**_** And? Not telling her is just as bad. In a different way. I'd be lying.**_** It'd be protecting her from something she doesn't need to know yet. Kokonoe said she'd figure this out.**_** These are huge risks we're taking with this new form; bad ones. She deserves to know.**_** If you say so.**_

He slid slowly into bed and pulled her close to his chest. She mumbled something indistinct and nestled herself closer to him. The worry and anger in him was beginning to dissipate, replaced instead with contented ease. Somehow, someway, things would work out. They just had to.

Or so he hoped.

* * *

**Author's Notes: The road's cloudier than ever now. Okay, so I updated a little bit sooner, didn't I? Huzzah. I was playing with the idea of Kokonoe telling Ragna about the whole Nine and Caelica business, but it just didn't have the right kind of "oomph" to it at this moment. It felt a little forced and I just couldn't write it properly to get the desired effect out of the text. It will be shelved for a later chapter.**

**Until next time fellow readers.**


	9. Threads

**Author's Note: Please forgive the delay; college and work doesn't give me much time as the quarter draws to a close. With finals done, I can start writing more. Hopefully. Onward, down this murky road.**

Crimson Azure: Chapter 9

Carl peered around a container and scanned the docking area. The aircraft set to launch for Ikaruga was less than fifty meters away, but the crowds hadn't thickened as much as he'd like to sneak aboard the vessel. "Well sis, it looks like this might be a bit harder than I thought it'd be…," he whispered to Nirvana, "I'm not too sure how we'll get into it now…" He peeked around the corner again; a few Librarium officers were standing about checking tickets. "If we don't hurry we won't be able to get on though…What should we do?" Nirvana turned about suddenly and looked visibly agitated. Her fists flexed reactively as a portal opened up before the two.

"I think you should reconsider your destination," said an soft voice. Rachel stepped through and smoothed out her dress. "Poor child, you're continuously left out of the loop. Eternally stumbling forward in the darkness cast by the shadows that have preceded you…Consider this a fair chance to stride alongside them. Perhaps the shadow you cast might yet reverse the dreadful situation brewing in Wadatsumi."

"M-miss Rachel? What are you talking about?" asked Carl incredulously. ("Calm down sis. It's just Miss Rachel.") "You aren't just trying to trip me up are you?"

Rachel smirked. "Hardly. Perhaps the past has mandated otherwise, but I can assure you, I have no intent to…ah, as you said, 'trip you up.' Wadatsumi is quickly becoming quite the powder keg…Why would you want to miss an experience such as that? Especially when your father seems likely to make an appearance…"

Carl's eyes narrowed immediately. "What about my father?" he asked seriously.

Rachel smiled. "I'm afraid that even my intellect cannot probe that question sufficiently. The answers you seek have shifted their location, Carl. I suggest you shift your course. I bid you good day. Perhaps we shall meet again in Wadatsumi…should you choose to travel there." She spun about elegantly and slid back into her portal.

"Wait! How do you know my…" Carl stared intently at the vacant space left behind before looking to Nirvana and saying fervently, "Change of plans. The ship to Wadatsumi is on the other end of the station. We're getting onto that one sis. Let's go."

* * *

Terumi rolled his eyes and sighed. "Fine, you big party-pooper…if you _really_ want to know why I'm so interested in this "wanton destruction", it's because of the Idea Engine," he said reluctantly. "The nukes are just a cover-up…a really good, _destructive _cover-up, but not much else. I just need a big enough diversion to get into that filthy cat's lab and steal whatever information she has on the Idea Engine. And maybe I'll drop a nice virus or two into the mainframe while I'm at it."

Relius regarded Terumi with interest before saying, "The Idea Engine? What use is information on it to you?"

"Are you really asking _me_ a question? I'm flattered Relius." Terumi grinned broadly, as Relius's features set into a frown before continuing, "The Idea Engine is the reason that pile of shit even had a chance against me. It made the fight just a _little_ too close for my tastes."

"Forgive me; I'd forgotten that you prefer to play with your food only when it's been defanged," said Relius coldly, "I still see no reason need for you to barge into the lion's den for something so trivial."

It was Terumi's turn to frown. With a snap, he retorted, "Listen up Relius. With the Idea Engine, Rags has at the very least the _shadow of a chance_ against me, and I don't like that, especially with all the stupid help he's going to get. We only get one shot now, and if we fuck up, there's no falling back into the stupid loops. Happy as I am that they're finally kaput, they're still one less insurance policy available to us now. I'm going to pretend to be interested in Kokonoe's nukes and steal as much information as I can while I'm there, and then blow that shithole to _kingdom come._ Are you going to help me or not?"

Relius sighed and looked back over at the regeneration tank. "The thirteenth will be fully regenerated in about a week, and combat ready in another. After that, she can be directly transported to Wadatsumi to begin a frontal assault on Sector Seven, allowing you to sneak in amidst the din. Can you reign in your appetite for chaos for that long?" Terumi grinned broadly.

"I'll try."

* * *

The sound of a loud crash emanated from the sliding metal door, and with a sigh, Tager begrudgingly walked in. "Kokonoe, what's going on?"

The scientist was standing above the desk she had knocked over, her chest heaving, hair disheveled and coat rumpled. "It's this stupid fucking form! I've run more diagnostics and simulations that I can count and written up a stack of hypotheses a foot high and I'm not even an _inch_ fucking closer to getting those two to _not die!"_

Tager righted the desk and said evenly, "Kokonoe, you're running simulations on what is basically an anomaly. We've never seen anything at all that's even remotely like this new power. I think you should take a break for the moment; three days of shutting yourself away in here is overdoing it, even for you. Have you even eaten?"

Kokonoe ruffled her hair agitatedly and said, "Yes, yes, I've had a small bite to eat here and there, that's not important. We need this new power if we want to kill that bastard, but I still have no idea how the hell to get around all the problems it's causing for those two."

Tager glanced over at the stack of papers and rifled through them. They seemed to become increasingly wilder as he went through; by the time he had reached the last few, they seemed to be grasping at the most frayed and thin of threads. He looked up at Kokonoe and said, "Take some time off from the problem. You're not going to get any closer to solving it if you kill yourself in the process." With an agitated moan, she threw her hands up and left, Tager following closely behind. "What have you found out, if anything?"

Kokonoe ruffled her hair and said irritably, "Not much. I need some way for them to become immune to the damages the stress creates. I might as well be looking for the cure to death, the way this is shaping up." She stopped for a moment and looked back towards the lab. "You know, I could try…" She yawned loudly and waved off the thought. "Forget it. Shit, I'm beat. Thanks for coming in Tager. I'm turning in." Tager nodded. "Tell Makoto to keep up her search. She just might find a clue to get this thing moving forward."

* * *

Makoto sighed and shelved another book. _This is the most boring thing Kokonoe has ever had me do._ Before her stood shelf upon shelf, upon bookcase upon bookcase of books, reports, notes and disks-and _every single one_ had to be perused for some sort of information that could aid her research. With a yawn, she picked a disk from a neat pile and inserted it into the small device she had in her hands. With a small beep, a loading bar appeared. When it had filled a second, louder beep issued and the disk ejected. "Oh for the love of…" With increasing agitation, she shoved the disk back into its case and threw it back on the pile. "I've only gotten through three bookcases and there's like _fifty of them!_" She threw up her hands and made for the exit. _That's enough searching for today._ Yawning, she looked quickly at her watch. She had spent six hours searching and found _nothing_. "I think it's time for dinner. I wonder if Noel and Ragna have any plans…Eh…on second thought…" With a small giggle, she left made for the exit to the lab. _I'll let them have their alone time_.

Makoto set off down the busy streets of Wadatsumi and wandered about aimlessly. She had no idea what she wanted to eat, and all of the shops kept morphing into bookcases. "Gah!" she muttered, "Kokonoe, why did you have me do this?" At last, she settled upon a small noodle house and slipped inside. Once seated she gazed about the rest of the restaurant and stopped when she spotted something oddly familiar. "Is that…Nirvana? IS THAT CARL?" she said loudly. Heads turned about to stare at the beastkin who looked about and grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, thought I saw someone..." Her explanation trailed off as she saw the duo stand and leave the restaurant. "Wait!" she got from her seat and chased after them. "Carl!" The busy street swallowed the two and within seconds, they were gone. _Aw jeez. Where did they get off to?_

Makoto scanned the streets for a moment longer before a voice came from behind. "Um, are you going to order something, miss?" With a start, she wheeled about and apologized. She took one last look out onto the street before going back inside. _Maybe it was my imagination…_

* * *

Ragna looked about curiously. The avalanche of wanted posters that seemed to inundate Kagutsuchi were strangely diminished here; perhaps it was Sector Seven's influence, or perhaps the Library based in Wadatsumi simply didn't feel the Grim Reaper had much interest in the city. Regardless, their scarcity provided a strange comfort.

**The vigilantes in Kagutsuchi didn't exactly scare me though. I guess it's just nice not to see my terribly drawn "face" everywhere.**

Ragna couldn't suppress a grin at the thought of the terribly inaccurate wanted posters that littered the streets back in the 13th City. Noel noticed and asked, "What are you smiling about Ragna?"

With a start, he looked at her and said, "Oh. Uh, nothing. Nothing important anyway," he said embarrassedly. The two had set about walking the streets out of boredom more than anything; without Kokonoe's research into prolonging their advanced form, they had very little to do-Makoto was often out doing work for Kokonoe and Rachel had been appearing with increasing infrequency. Little information had arisen on Terumi's activities; it seemed that he was lying low with the Librarium, at least for the moment.

**I wonder what the hell it is that bastard is doing though. After the last week, this lull seems so…strange. More shit's happened to me over the course of a few days than has happened to me over the course of years…**

With a sideways glance, he studied Noel. It wasn't, he thought, all bad. Fate, it would have it though, had more in store than simply a partner; a shockwave of energy cracked the ground before them, and the two wheeled about.

"Humph. Black Beast." Hakumen stood before them, holding his sword aloft. "We have unfinished business to attend to. Terumi can shut himself away to plan, but until then, you and I have a score to settle. Prepare yourself!" Hakumen dashed at Ragna and let loose a massive swipe. With a grunt of exertion, Ragna deflected the blow with Blood-Scythe and moved in front of Noel.

"Hey! Asshole! The fuck is wrong with you, huh? I just helped save the fucking world!" shouted Ragna angrily. "Dead Spike!" A huge head of black energy erupted from ground; Hakumen hopped away from it.

"This is more than a fight for your life, Black Beast. Prove you are more than just a force of destruction! Prove you can do some good!" said Hakumen coldly. He dashed forward, hilt forward and jabbed Ragna in the stomach. With a splutter, he bent over and looked dazedly up at Hakumen. "ZANTESTU!" With a massive overhead swing, Hakumen brought his Ookami down upon Ragna.

"Damn it! INFERNO DIVIDER!" A mass of energy consumed Ragna's blade as he brought it forcefully up to Hakumen's. With the piercing sound that accompanied clashing blades, the two rebounded backwards. Ragna got to his feet and readied his sword. "Alright asshole, you asked for this!"

"Ragna! Look!" shouted Noel, pointing to his right. Distracted, Ragna looked to his right and saw something to make his eyes widen. "Jin?"

With a sideways glance, Jin nodded and turned to face Hakumen. "Not now, brother, I have other business to attend to. You!" Jin pointed at Hakumen. "Something about you…I can't put my finger on it. Tell me! What are you hiding?"

Hakumen sheathed his sword and turned about. "Humph. Your will is strong Black Beast, but your form needs sharpening. When we meet again, perhaps you will prove yourself."

With a scowl, Jin shouted, "Hey! Don't you just ignore me! Tell me! WHO ARE YOU?" Hakumen looked back for a moment before walking away. "Get back here!" Jin took off, full pelt towards Hakumen, but in an instant, the White Void had vanished. "Gah! Damn it! I swear I'll find you Hakumen! And I'll make you tell me what you're hiding if I have to _beat it out of you!_" He dashed off again, and Noel and Ragna found themselves alone again.

"What…what just happened Ragna?" asked Noel timidly.

With a furrowed brow, Ragna heaved a sigh and mumbled, "No clue. What the hell _was_ that?"

* * *

Hakumen stood atop the roof of a house in the higher sections of Wadatsumi. "Come once again to pester me?" He said irritated. He turned about; it was Rachel.

"My, someone is in quite the unhappy mood," she said airily.

"He's always unhappy Princess!" squeaked Gii.

"Positively _dreadful_ disposition," added Nago.

"Silence you two. I have little need for your snide remarks," said Rachel sharply. "Now, it seems our White Knight here can't quite handle facing a certain hero that's been stalking him. Is that correct?"

With a scoff, Hakumen returned to his observation of the city. "I have nothing of importance to tell him. When the time is right, he will be told what is necessary. Nothing more."

With a sly smile, Rachel needled, "But outright _running_ from him? That is quite uncharacteristic, Hakumen of the _Six Heroes_. Are you sure you aren't simply evading the inevitable?"

"Humph. I am evading unnecessary encounters. He is not a priority right now," he said flatly. "I have better places to direct my energies. Namely the Black Beast and what that cat is hiding beneath her floors. But surely you know all that, Observer."

With a frown, Rachel responded, "That role is a memory. Incidentally, so is the Master Unit and with it, the time loop. This world has no need for an Observer, and I certainly would want no part in it if it did."

"Then what do you call this? It seems to me that I am not the only one you have been keeping up with. The Black Beast has surely been subject to your damnable gaze," he said harshly.

"Fool. I am not observing. I am acting. This new stage will only exist once, and I must ensure that it does not lead into darker times," she responded.

"Hah. If you so sorely desire a better world, the Black Beast and those filthy weapons that cat is hiding would have been your priority. They continue to exist, and you continue to be blinded by false hopes," said Hakumen, "I have chosen my own path, because yours is far too soft to be of any real use."

"Is that so? High talk for one who seems to be in a _sparing_ mood today," said Rachel. "I've heard the most interesting tale about, dare I say, a reformed Hakumen? Ragna seemed quite puzzled at what you told him."

With a stomp, Hakumen wheeled about and pointed menacingly at Rachel. "If the Black Beast can best me, then perhaps he is of some use to this planet, but as long as he cannot, I will seek to eradicate him."

"By giving him a chance to best you? Hardly a form of efficient eradication," nettled Rachel. "Or perhaps you have yet to admit that he already _has_ bested you."

Hakumen grunted and turned about once again. "I have nothing else to say to you now. Return when you're ready to speak sense." With a smirk, Rachel stepped gracefully back through her portal and vanished.

* * *

"Hm. Haven't found much with the first search."Carl pulled his sister along the city of Wadatsumi, ignoring some of the confused and alarmed looks people were giving his companion. "Hm. We need to get into the Librarium. I doubt he'd be out in the streets. That's not like him at all. I wonder if anyone can give us directions…Or not. It might look suspicious…What do you think sis?" A small silence punctuated the seemingly one-sided conversation. "That sounds like a good idea. If what Miss Rachel said is true, there must be other people we might know here…"

* * *

**There's the next one guys. Sorry that it's a bit shorter, but I had to begin plot points with this chapter, not end them. Sorry for the delay in getting this out, but I've got to do a lot of writing as it is with school. Thank God for vacations. Until next time!**


	10. The Eldest Archives

**Author's Note: Amidst thick fog, it looms. Its branches much hold up the sky. Yggdrasil. **

Crimson Azure: Chapter 10

Makoto peeked around the corner of a building; she had decided to keep searching after all. There it was, the Wadatsumi Librarium building. 'Now I just need to get in somehow…" she thought, 'Hrm. A distraction might help. But what kind of distraction?' She surveyed her surroundings. Nothing in particular that could give her an opportunity to sneak in presented itself, short of destroying the wall of a building. With a grin, she gleefully thought, 'That might work. Kokonoe would be really pissed off though. Maybe as a last resort.'

"Makoto?" said a voice from behind.

The beastkin jumped. "Ah! Get back!" she said in panic. She raised her fists before noticing who it was. "Carl? Hey! Carl! It's you!" She pulled the boy into a bone-breaking hug. "Gah! You're just as cute as last time!" she squeaked happily, rubbing her cheeks against his. "Whatcha doin' out here?" She pulled his top hat off and put it on herself. "Turnin' in a bounty for the Libarium?"

Carl pouted. "My hat…" he mumbled. Slowly, Nirvana reached up and removed the hat from Makoto's head before returning it to Carl. "Thanks sis," he said cheerily, "Sorry Makoto, I like my hat."

Makoto laughed. "Yeah, yeah. Anyway, get to the point! Whatcha doin' here?"

Carl's face fell into shadow. "I'm looking for my father…Have you seen him around?"

She frowned. "No. Haven't seen that creep anywhere." She gasped. "He might be in there though! This is perfect! You're gonna help me sneak into the Librarium. Or, uh…we'll help each other. You need to get in right?" Carl nodded. She looked to Nirvana. "She can teleport to you…right?" Carl nodded again. With a sneaky grin, Makoto whispered feverishly, "Then here's what we're gonna do…"

'Got pretty lucky. Just what I needed to get in,' the two thought.

Minutes later, Carl set the plan into action. Nirvana was to walk towards the officers guarding the front door, claws presented and draw their attention long enough for the two to sneak in. Surely enough, the plan worked perfectly, and with the officers pursuing Nirvana as she retreated, the two bolted into the building. "Ada!" whispered Carl as they closed the door behind them. A beam of light briefly erupted from the ground and Nirvana materialized before him. "That was perfect Makoto!" he said happily. "Now, where would my father be?" His face fell immediately into seriousness once again.

Makoto put a finger to her lip. "Um…if he's here he's probably up at the top offices. Literally. You'll have to head up several flights of stairs and avoid guards on the way up…" She looked away in nervous agitation. 'Damn. I want to help him. He'll be eaten alive if he's alone. There's just too many guards…Hrm. Ah. I know just what to do.' She looked back at Carl and said quietly, "Listen, I have an errand to run for Kokonoe here. How's this. You follow me, help me find some discs, books, or whatever kinda junk she needs and I help you get to the top of this place? Deal?"

Carl looked to Ada and whispered, "What do you think sis?" After a small stint of silence, he turned back to Makoto and nodded. "Yeah, we'll help you Makoto. What do we have to find?"

Makoto sighed internally. "Okay, we need to get to the lower levels. Let's get going," she said quietly. She grabbed his arm and pulled him towards a nearby descending staircase. "The archives are down a few levels. I hope."

* * *

"I know why you incessantly seek me out," said Hakumen. He looked out over the city. "And once again, you will fail to learn what you seek." He turned to face Jin. "But if you seek a fight, be warned. I will not hesitate to leave you unconscious upon the ground." He drew his sword and pointed it at him. "Prepare yourself. I am Hakumen! The end has come!"

Jin snarled and drew Yukianesa. "I'm gonna BEAT the answer of you!" He rushed at Hakumen and slashed viciously at him leave an icy streak as his blade sliced the air. The floating particles of ice solidified and melded into three swords of ice and flew at him. Hakumen snorted and cut the three of them in half with a single strike, leaving behind three identical black anomalies, bound by runes.

"Pathetic!" he shouted. "These pitiful projectiles are useless before the edge of Ookami. If you wish to best me, you will need sword play!" He dashed forward and delivered a driving knee into Jin's gut before following through with a powerful upward cut that sent him flying. Hakumen dashed forward and hopped into the air. "Hotaru!" he shouted, kicking his opponent higher into the air. Jin spun wildly through the air, flipping end over end and crashing heavily into the ground.

"Agh…shit…" sputtered Jin, spitting blood out of his mouth. "Damn it…I can still…fight…" He flipped backwards onto a massive blade of ice that materialized beneath him and held his sword aloft. "Tell me who you are!" he shouted.

"No," he said quietly. He held up his free arm as a massive circle of runes phased into existence before it. The blade collided with the symbols and disintegrate. "Cheap…" he said savagely, flipping Jin off the blade and slamming him into the ground. "Parlor tricks…" He lifted Jin up with his blade again, "Are useless!" He jumped towards Jin. "TSUBAKI!" Jin felt a blade collide heavily with his stomach and slammed back down to the earth. Hakumen landed gracefully beside him and pointed his sword at him. "When we inevitably meet again, I hope for your sake you have improved your _swordplay._"

Jin held his arm up defiantly. "F-fuck…you…I can still….f-fight…" he grunted out. His entire body was in excruciating pain. Hakumen stomped once on his stomach. With a gasp of surprise, Jin coughed and passed out.

_You cannot beat yourself with your own techniques Jin._

* * *

Makoto angrily shelved yet another book and ruffled her hair in agitation. "Damn it Kokonoe, if this wasn't for Ragna and Noel I woulda given up ages ago."

"What was that?" asked Carl from behind.

Makoto turned about and scratched the back of her head. "Nothing, nothing, just talking to myself…" she mumbled.

"Makoto, do you know where Ragna is? I really need something he has," he asked flatly.

"Uh…well, I mean, yeah, but what do you need him for? He's not a bad guy or anything…" she said evasively.

Carl rolled his eyes. Given every single encounter he'd had with Ragna, their outcomes and what wanted posters declared, he was the definition of a "bad guy." Carl responded, "I really need that Grimoire he has if Ada is ever to be returned to her old self."

"Right, I know, but Carl, don't you think it'd be a better idea to see what Relius has to say instead about changing her back?" asked Makoto. 'Please Carl, we can't get into an argument, or worse, a fight, here of all places,' she thought frantically.

Carl sighed. "We're already here, so I guess he comes first. But I really need to find Ragna too. It doesn't matter if I know what to do if I can actually do it," he said quietly.

Makoto exhaled in relief. "Right, let's go check the lab sheets they keep stored down here. Kokonoe mentioned something about old Murakumo notes…" She pulled Carl down the hallway to the next portion of the archives. 'Dodged a bullet there,' she thought, worried, 'What am I gonna do though? How do I tell Carl that Ragna's the good guy here and that we're all fighting to help bring down his dad and Terumi? That won't fly with him. The way he talks and acts…He won't just take any explanation. Damn.'

* * *

Hakumen watched from the shadows as a portal opened up beside Jin and out stepped Rachel.

"My, my, Mr. Hero. Once again, I find you a crumpled heap on the ground. But these wounds…well, it seems you finally caught up to the fabled Silver Knight and lost. _Again._ Valkenhayn!" A second portal appeared beside her as Valkenhayn stepped out.

"Yes, Madame Rachel?" he said courteously.

"Remove our Mr. Hero here to…goodness me, I suppose we can't return him to the usual clinic," she pondered. With a small smile, she added, "But, there is another place you can send him…"

* * *

Ragna sat disinterestedly next to Noel and took to poking her side occasionally in a brave attempt to relieve his boredom. "He's made of much sterner stuff than this Noel. I dunno why you're so worried," he droned, "Just trust me on this one. I've had to beat his ass way more than Hakumen ever has. And that's basically the same thing. More or less anyway."

"I'm worried, aren't you; he's your brother! And stop poking me!" she squeaked. Ragna laughed and put his arm around her waist. "I know you've had to fight Major Kisaragi, um…a lot, but still. Don't you worry?"

Ragna yawned and got up to stretch. "Fuck Noel, I've been fighting Jin for a long time. I mean, shit I'm worried about his mental health because he's batshit most of the time, but he can take a beating. I've made sure of that." He gave Noel a soft kiss on the forehead before heading towards the door of the infirmary. "I'm gonna take a piss. Shoot him if he gets rowdy before I get back." Noel made an indignant noise of protest at Ragna's retreating back.

Jin stirred in his bed and tried to sit up, only for his back to scream at him in protest, forcing him to stay where he lie. "God…damn it. What the hell is going on?" Painfully, he turned his head to look about the room. "What the…Lieutenant Vermillion? The hell are you doing here?"

Noel looked up at Jin and felt the familiar fright that gripped her whenever the two spoke. "Um, you were brought here, unconscious by Valkenhayn…" she mumbled.

"I was what?" he said angrily. He tried to sit up again, and once more, his back shouted down any attempts with blinding pain. "Why can't I get up? Am I chained to this bed or something?" he shouted.

Noel shook her head. "No, it's not that at all Major, you're just…um…"

The door opened up, revealing a very agitated Kokonoe and bothered Ragna. "You're suffering from a mild form of shock-induced paralysis. Now stop squirming before you make it worse you nitwit." She walked up to the machine by his bed and pressed a few buttons. "Your vitals are normal, but you've still got nervous shock." She scoffed, "Great, another nervous problem. You're more like your brother than I thought."

Jin forced every bit of his willpower into sitting up but was bested decisively by his back. It would not budge. "Shut up," he snapped, "And let me get out of this bed."

Kokonoe looked at him and let loose a harsh laugh. "Sure, get out of bed. Do what you like. Soon as you can, let me know so I can have you sedated for experimentation. God knows I can use some nerve samples from your spinal column to help Noel with her problems. Now shut up and go to sleep, or so help me, I will make you. You've got a nervous system to pull out of cataclysmic shock and some angels to thank for not being killed by Hakumen." Kokonoe motioned to Ragna and Noel and directed them outside. Ragna shook his head and instead urged Kokonoe and Noel out.

"I've got some catching up to do with Jin," said Ragna flatly, cracking his neck. "Shame I can't beat it into you Jin. Guess you'll have to fucking _listen_ to me for once." Kokonoe and Noel left the two to their devices.

"What do you want brother?" mumbled Jin. **Kill him. You can still fight. Kill him.** Jin beat the thought away internally. "What's happened?"

Ragna smirked. "A bit. Heh. You know, it's kinda funny seeing you here not trying to kill me for once. Maybe you oughta stay crippled Jin. It'd save me a pretty big headache," jabbed Ragna. Jin scowled. "Anyway, let's see. Shit, uh, Noel and I are an item now, so look at her funny and I'll slit your throat."

Jin laughed harshly. "Really now, brother? You're with _her_? Brother, you have _awful_ taste."

Ragna's face fell into a grimace. "And a working back you bitch. Watch your mouth. I could beat you to death right now if I wanted," he snarled. "Like I was saying, we're together, and Kokonoe's discovered a new form that'll help us defeat Terumi. Remember when we had to fight Noel when she was that…thing…back in Kagutsuchi?" Jin nodded. "Well, we can turn her back into it, but she's not batfuck crazy. And that helps a shitload. Only problem is, we can't use that form 'cuz it might kill us. And that's a about it for now."

Jin rolled his eyes and stared up at the ceiling. "I've been hunting for Hakumen, as you noticed brother. He know something that he won't tell me. Something that is important. And I'm going to beat it out of him one way or another."

"Hell no you won't," said a gruff voice from the entryway.

"Master?" asked Ragna, wheeling about. It was Jubei.

"Heheh. That's right. How's it going Ragna? Glad ya found my stray pupil," he said good-naturedly. He turned to Jin and set his face into an annoyed frown. "Now, Jin, why the hell did you have to go and run off? You know damn well that you don't have complete control of Yukianesa yet."

"I need to find what Hakumen is keeping from me," said Jin savagely. **Kill them. Destroy them all and take what you seek.** Jin shook his head. "Argh! Damn it! It won't shut up!"

Jubei sighed. "I toldjer you weren't in control yet. I bet ya that it won't shut up now huh?" Responding to Jin's nod, Jubei added, "We of course it won't shut up. You went off and got yerself paralyzed, and now it wants control again. Damn it Jin, ya gotta stop being so damn thickheaded!" He smartly rapped on Jin's head and turned back to Ragna. "Thanks fer watchin' over him. I already thanked Kokonoe; she wasn't pleased. I heard Valk went and dropped him off here without much explanation." He sighed, "Now I hafta go and talk to Hakumen…What a day."

"Master, has Kokonoe told you about…?" began Ragna.

"About how much of a stud ya are? Yeah she mentioned it in passing. Poor Noel looked like she mighta fainted right there," chuckled Jubei.

Ragna felt color rise in his cheeks and said evasively, "Right, yeah…" He shuffled his feet nervously, "We're together, but I mean about that new form."

Jubei nodded, his face becoming more serious. "Yeah, I did. Doesn't sound good. Mighty powerful form ya got there Ragna, but it's too dangerous to use against Terumi." Ragna's face fell. "I know you wanna beat him, but it'll hafta be another method unless Kokonoe finds somethin'."

Ragna nodded. "Yeah, I figured Master. You don't have any ideas do you?"

"Tell you the truth Ragna; I ain't got anything," said Jubei sadly, "Except for this. If you can get into this form in the first place, there has to be _somethin'_ you already know that might help ya. Now, I ain't you, so I couldn't tell you. I may've trained you, but I don't know what you've learned along the way. I mean, from what Kokonoe tells me, this has never happened before. I doubt you'll find anything in a coupla books that could tell you how to fix it. Stick with what ya know." Jubei looked back to Jin and said, "Anyway, I need to get goin'. Gotta talk to Hakumen now. Jin, stay in Sector Seven until I get back. And this time _listen_. If ya run off again I'm gonna beat some obedience into ya." He nodded to Ragna and left.

"I need to go talk to Kokonoe, Jin. Go to sleep or something will you?" said Ragna, "And if you can get up by some miracle in the next few hours, do us all a favor, and stay in bed."

"Tch. Have it your way, brother," said Jin coldly at Ragna's retreating back.

* * *

Makoto threw the last of the lab notes on the ground. "Forget it. Carl, let's go find Relius. This is pointless. There's nothing her but stupid data on the Murakumo tests in here. It's all just useless numbers. Kokonoe could pull this up on Noel in half a minute," she said exasperatedly. "At least we'll be doing something different."

Carl looked up from the sheets he was perusing and nodded. When her back was turned, he folded the papers and tucked them away. 'These notes on Mother's transformation might come in handy…'

As the two ascended the stairs, Makoto looked furtively about for any guards. 'This place is really understaffed…I wonder where all the guards are?" At the top of the landing, the two found a succession of doors leading to the offices of the top-ranking officers for the Wadatsumi NOL branch. Every door was locked save for the door at the end of the hallway.

Makoto looked at the twisted knob uneasily. "Carl, this is the _only_ unlocked door. Do you smell a trap?"

Carl nodded. "Yeah, this seems like something right out of a book, right sis?"

Makoto stared at the door. "Well, if it is, we better be ready, because this is the only chance we get," she said finally. She let go of the knob and kicked the door in. "Hey! Relius! You in here?"

The two looked inside. The room was desolate, save for a single figure, cloaked in black.

"That uniform," said Makoto to herself. "Zero Squadron."

The figure looked up at the two; where friendly blue eyes once looked instead glared evil red irises. She drew a sword and readied a book turned shield.

"Tsubaki!" shouted the beastkin and boy in unison.

* * *

Ragna stared contemplatively at the ceiling of his room. "Something I already know, eh Master?" he said to himself. "What the hell can I do? Blood Kain? That uses souls if anything…what the hell do…" He looked down at his Grimoire as a familiar voice echoed in his head.

_Nu will always be with you Ragna._

Ragna's eyes widened. "THE IDEA ENGINE!" he shouted. He bolted off his bed and set off down the hallway, full-pelt towards Kokonoe's lab.

* * *

Kokonoe threw a clipboard aside and groaned. "Noel, just go back to your room. These tests are providing fuck-all." She rubbed her temples and muttered, "A clue. I just want a damn clue." The door to the lab slammed open. "What the hell? BE CAREFUL. I'M DOING SHIT!"

"Kokonoe!" yelled Ragna, rushing in, "I know something we didn't try!" Kokonoe looked at Ragna and raised an eyebrow.

"The hell? I'm amazed, you came up with something," she needled; after countless failures, her skepticism was running rampant.

"Hell yeah I did. Actually, Master helped me out on it," he explained, ignoring the insult, "Look, if we can activate this form, which means that something inside of us is responsible."

Kokonoe nodded. "Yeah, what's your point?"

"My point is that your damn notes don't have anything on us. This shit's never been done before. But you do have notes on something that's inside me. Thanks to Lambda."

Kokonoe stared at Ragna incredulously. Then, comprehension dawned upon her face. "The Idea Engine…" she whispered. She turned to look at Noel and said evenly, "Get ready. Ragna. Activate it."

"Restriction 666 released. Dimensional interference field deployed! Engaging the Idea Engine! BlazBlue, activate!" shouted Ragna. The belt loops around his arm loosened once more and began to glow, and so did Noel.

Blinding light filled the lab again and when it dissipated, Noel in her modified Murakumo form revealed herself, the gun-blades that hovered behind her now shimmering with a dull red-black light.

"Hold that form!" said Kokonoe excitedly. She sprinted to her computer and pulled up a diagnostic. "Wait for it!" Screens of data popped up before her and with a wild grin, she looked over to the two. "Stay like that as long as you want. It'll take three-thousand, four-hundred and eighty-seven years to kill you."

* * *

**Author's Notes: Yeah, three and a half thousand years. Excessive, but I wanted to get the point across. Hope you enjoyed it and a wondrous end of the holiday season to all of you.**

**By the way, if you're interested in reading or joining a BlazBlue RP, head over to my profile for a link.  
**

**Apply! Read! We need members!**

**I'm done whoring myself out Velvien, where's my check? Heh.  
**


	11. The Recruit

**Author's Notes: A thousand names to places inside a book. None of them sound like home.**

Crimson Azure 11

Relius opened the door to the regeneration lab and found, as he expected, Hazama impatiently watching the thirteenth regenerate alongside a plate of boiled eggs. "Is this all you intend to do for the following weeks? Watch the thirteenth regenerate in her tank?"

Terumi lazily bit into an egg. "Well Relius, there's not much else to do. I might just get…how would you put this…oh yes, "give into my chaotic nature and ruin our plans." We can't have that now can we? So, don't mind me, I'll just idly wait for this pass over." He grinned evilly at Relius. "I'm going to have a field-day once I get into that bitch's lab though. I hope you know that."

Relius sighed. "Yes, yes, I'm sure you'll wreak complete chaos upon Sector Seven," he responded impatiently. "There are more pressing matters to attend to. Our sentry at the Wadatsumi branch has been activated."

Terumi laughed cruelly. "Oh, this is rich. That blind bitch came in handy after all. Good going Relius. It was a shot in the dark that Rags would walk into the NOL branch in Wadatsumi, but your hunch paid off, eh?" A crackle of energy began to concentrate to Terumi's left, consolidating into Phantom. "Hrm? What's going on?"

Relius shook his head. "Apparently Yayoi hasn't been activated by Ragna," he explained, "I was certain that he would have investigated that branch alongside Noel Vermillion, forcing her into a painful battle…It would seem though that instead they have been happened upon by Makoto Nanaya…and my son." He turned to the screens supervising Nu's regeneration tank. "Ensure Yayoi eliminates them."

* * *

Kokonoe jumped up and down gleefully; after excessive failure and angry grappling with the problem, she felt she deserved this exuberance. "Terumi is _really_ fucked now. We need to find him and strike while we have the chance!" She pulled up her phone and dialed numbers in a frenzy.

* * *

Makoto parried a vicious thrust from Tsubaki and jumped back. "Carl, this might be a bit too much for us to handle!" she said worriedly. Next to her, Carl was pulling himself off the ground after taking blunt hit to the chest.

"I think…" he panted, "You're right…Ada!" Nirvana lumbered out from behind him and launched a weighty punch at Tsubaki. With a flourish, she deflected the blow and slashed at Nirvana. The marionette recoiled but stood resolutely between her opponent and Carl. "What's going on with Tsubaki, Makoto? Why is she attacking us?"

Makoto aimed a sharp jab at the swordswoman only to have it deflected and punished with a powerful smash from the shield. "Gah!" she sputtered, "I don't know…She can't be herself. Just look at her!" Carl nodded in understanding; whatever it was that happened to Tsubaki, it had a rather sinister choice in colors.

"What do we do? We're three people and we can barely hold her off!" he asked desperately. "Should we just get out of here? It's obvious my father isn't here!"

Makoto nodded. "Let's get out of…" Her phone began to vibrate. "What the hell Kokonoe? Now of all times?" She dashed away from Tsubaki and opened her phone. "You've got some terrible timing Kokonoe, what's going on?"

"Get back to the lab! We cracked the new form! And…what the hell is going on over there?" asked Kokonoe.

"Tsubaki was at the branch! She's not herself though…something's controlling her!" replied Makoto.

* * *

Noel looked over at Kokonoe and asked worriedly, "What's going on? What happened to Makoto?"

Kokonoe put the phone down from her ear and said, "Tsubaki's at the branch. According to Makoto she isn't herself. I'm having her retreat."

"Retreat? If Tsubaki isn't herself, we need to help her!" pleaded Noel, "Let Ragna and I get over there and help out!"

Kokonoe's face split into a grin. "Sure," she said simply. Noel's eyes widened in surprise. "Can't ask for a better field test, can I?" Noel looked over at Ragna, who stared back and nodded. The two dashed out of the lab without another word.

"Makoto! Screw retreating! Just hold her off until Noel and Ragna get there! That's an order!" said Kokonoe, "They'll be there soon. Hold on!"

* * *

"Easier said than done…" mumbled Makoto. She flipped her phone closed and dashed back to help relieve Carl, who had been taking the brunt of the attacks for the duration of the call. "Hey! Tsubaki!" She landed a firm punch on her friends jaw, sending her flying. "Pay attention to me!" Makoto dashed up to Tsubaki and aimed a firm punch at her face. _If I can just knock her out, this'll be a whole lot easier._ Her punch rebounded off the shield and staggered her. "Carl! Now!" she called back.

Carl leapt above Makoto and extended a puppet lance directly at Tsubaki's head. With a loud thud, the blow connected, knocking Tsubaki on all fours. Makoto picked her up and mumbled, "Sorry, but this is gonna hurt." A flurry of punches from her tail connected with her and a final punch to the chest sent her flying back against the wall. "Nice one, Carl. Think we might have gotten her. We just have to keep her here until Ragna and Noel show up." The two carefully approached the crumpled figure. "Alright, I think we…Ow!" In one fluid movement, Tsubaki got herself to her feet and slashed ferociously at Makoto, cutting deeply across her arm. "Damn it…" she whimpered, clutching the wound. "Watch out Carl!" Again, he raised a massive shield to block the blow, but staggered and dropped his guard. "Carl!" A huge smash from Tsubaki's shield hit was deflected by Nirvana's appearance, catching the marionette in the chest and knocking her back.

"Sis! You ok?" asked Carl in worry. Nirvana extended sharp fingers at Tsubaki, who dashed away and launched another attack, hitting Nirvana squarely in the face. "Sis!" With a stagger, Nirvana slumped over and crackled. "Oh no...Makoto, Ada's down for the..." Carl sputtered and flew back onto the floor where he remained.

"No, no, no! Carl! Carl, are you ok? Carl!" shouted Makoto in worry. 'Oh God, please don't be dead,' she thought in panic. She sprinted over to his crumpled form and checked for a pulse. 'Thank goodness, he's alive.' Blinding pain struck Makoto's head, leaving winking lights pulsing in her field of view. Dazedly, she turned to look at Tsubaki, her eyes growing unfocused as the image of her possessed friend began to double. "God…damn…it…" she struggled out before falling over.

Inside her ear, a quiet, sinister voice hissed to Tsubaki. _**End…their…lives**__._ Obediently, Tsubaki raised her blade above Makoto and prepared to strike down through the beastkin's chest. 'NO! STOP!' shouted another voice. Tsubaki staggered and clutched her face. Internally, Tsubaki's imprisoned consciousness screamed tearfully at Phantom's overbearing killing intent. 'Don't! Don't kill them!' she sobbed, 'Please!' Her will struggled painfully against its restraints, bleeding through just enough to stop her physical self from following through with a deathblow. _**Fool. Your will…is too weak…to stop it.**_ Tsubaki's arm staggered down a few inches. _**Total…control.**_ Her arm rose up and prepared to thrust her sword into Makoto's chest once more. 'NO!' screamed Tsubaki.

The door to the officer burst open, revealing Ragna and Noel. "Tsubaki, no!" yelled Noel, "Optic Barrel!" The shot exploded harmlessly on her shield, but succeeded in knocking her back from Makoto. Noel sprinted over to Makoto and shook her in a feeble attempt to revive her. "Makoto? Makoto! Wake up! Please!" she pleaded. "Ragna, is she okay?"

Ragna deflected Tsubaki's attack and grunted, "Kinda busy Noel. You mind giving me a hand?" Noel fired off several shots at Tsubaki, each of them deflected.

"Oh god! Carl's over there!" realized Noel, running over to him, "Carl! Wake up!"

"DAMN IT NOEL, SHUT UP AND FIGHT, THEY'RE STILL ALIVE!" shouted Ragna angrily, "It won't mean shit that they're alive if we get fucked up too!" Noel apologized and joined Ragna's side. "Keep up the pressure, she can't stop both of us!" Ragna launched a series of vicious swipes with Blood-Scythe at Tsubaki, and each blow seemed to throw her closer to being knocked off balance. "Noel! Shoot her now!" Frightened of hurting her friend, Noel fired off a shot at Tsubaki's shield, knocking it from her grasp. "Damn it Noel, at least aim somewhere that might knock her out, would you?" Tsubaki dove towards her shield and picked it up again. "Ugh, you know what, I don't have time this shit Tsubaki. Restriction 666 released, dimensional interference field deployed, engaging the Idea Engine! BlazBlue, activate!" shouted Ragna. Noel rose off the floor and exploded into light once more. "I don't care what you do, just make sure you knock her out, got it?" Noel nodded and zoomed at Tsubaki, whipping her blades about her body and hitting her successively. Knocked airborne, Tsubaki struggled to right herself, only to be hit repeatedly by shot after shot from the gun barrels. With difficulty, she pulled herself to her feet, only to struck again with blade after blade.

"I'm sorry Tsubaki," called out Noel, "But we have to stop you somehow!" She spun her gun-blades in front of her and focused their barrels onto a singular point.

_If I can hit her shield, the beam I'm about to fire should just knock her out._

Noel took careful aim and prepared her attack. Each barrel fired a solid beam that consolidated at their focal point before firing straight at Tsubaki. The resulting explosion blinded Noel, and when it dissipated, Tsubaki lay on the floor motionless, Izayoi lying uselessly several feet away. With a sigh, she landed and turned to look at Ragna. "We need to get them back to lab as soon as we can."

* * *

Relius looked up from his screens as Phantom clumsily consolidated itself again in the room. "Terumi. It would seem that Yayoi isn't under our control anymore," he said quietly, "Nanaya and my son have yet to be eliminated." Terumi looked lazily over to him and waved off the remark. "I expected you'd hardly be bothered. Care to explain why?"

Terumi stretched in his chair and stood up. "Relius, that blind little bitch wasn't going to be much use anyway after our little surprise. Rags can keep her for all I care. Besides, after the talk I gave her, I doubt she'll be interested in hanging out with Noel." He grinned evilly, "Maybe I'll get a twofer and she'll bring them down from the inside. Don't know. Don't _really_ care. So what'd Ragna do to beat her? Hit her really hard? Oh, wait, let me guess….He used that pathetic excuse for a Grimoire right?"

Relius shook his head grimly and said, "There was some sort of anomalous interference with Phantom's observation of the events. We have no idea what's occurred other than our loss of influence on Yayoi's mind. Clearly, this is an issue far more pressing than you are treating it. It is nearly impossible to distort Phantom's perception."

"Alrighty, now I'm just a _teensy_ bit concerned. Distorted how?" asked Terumi.

Relius sighed and returned to his screens. "There's not a single shred of evidence that would explain why Terumi. And this makes the events of dire importance to me. The sooner that the thirteenth has regenerated the better; I do believe time is working against us now." Terumi sighed and opened his mouth to speak, but Relius cut him off. "Whatever sort of dismissal you have can be kept. If you have no concern for the troubling nature of this development, that is entirely your decision. _I_ on the other hand am most interested, and certainly worried, about how Phantom could be so easily interrupted by Ragna and the twelfth." Terumi scowled and returned to his eggs.

* * *

_Darkness was swirling around her, slowly constricting the small platform of light beneath her. Soon, it would give way entirely to the creeping shadows, and she would fall forever through the empty oblivion. At once, she was consumed, and fell, screaming soundlessly into the infinite black._

Tsubaki woke with a start, sitting bolt upright in her bed and hyperventilating. "What…what was that?" she panted, clutching her chest, "Oh God. No…" she clawed at her face and realized her eyes had been covered with bandages. "I'm…blindfolded?"

"Hah, that's a good one. You're _blind,_" said a voice to her right. Tsubaki jumped and looked in its direction. "Calm down. You're in good hands. And in a rather large debt to three people."

"Wh-who is that? Where am I?" demanded Tsubaki, though she felt almost certain that her false bravado was discounted. "What happened to my vision?"

To her left, an icily familiar voice, lined with terribly meshed worry spoke out, "Izayoi. Damn it Tsubaki, I told you not to use Izayoi. Why didn't you listen?"

"Jin?" she exclaimed, "Jin, is that you?"

"Yeah, that's my brother. And she probably didn't listen, Jin, because she's as thickheaded as you are. Now I know why Noel and Makoto were mumbling about you two." Tsubaki looked ahead of her.

"Is that…Ragna the Bloodedge?" she cried in confusion. "Where am I?"

"Shut up, will you?" said the irritated voice to her left, "You're in Sector Seven. I'm Kokonoe, the lead researcher here, and as I said before, you owe three people a huge debt. You owe me for your new eyes and Ragna and Noel for your freedom."

"Eyes?" asked Tsubaki, "My eyes…I'm blind though…"

"You _were_ blind. I'm pretty sure these new ocular implants will let you see better than ever. They've been matched to be indistinguishable from your old eyes too. I'm afraid you can't use Izayoi's powers all that much anymore though," explained Kokonoe, "Because if you go blind again, I'm not making you a new pair."

Tsubaki sat silently, her head spinning and worldview coming apart at the seams. She sat in Sector Seven, the heart of an enemy organization, alongside, inexplicably, Jin, Ragna the Bloodedge and the head scientist. "What am I doing here?"

"You're recovering. Thanks to Noel, we managed to knock you out long enough to bring you here. And get rid of whatever the hell was changing your clothing and eye color. What the fuck did that anyway?" explained Ragna.

Tsubaki remembered the overwhelming killing intent that had flowed through her body. "Phantom…" she whispered, "I'm…" She felt a terrible stinging pain explode in her eyes. "Oh God! My eyes!" she sobbed, clawing at her bandages.

"HEY! Stop crying!" snapped Kokonoe, "Your eyes aren't healed enough for that shit. Suck it up, you'll ruin them. Now listen up, you're going to stay in this infirmary until you can actually see shit. Should be only a few hours; I think I did a pretty good job replacing your eyes if I do say so myself. And after that, you should be well enough to help us bring down Terumi and the NOL."

Tsubaki's head snapped towards Kokonoe. "You want me to what? Is that an order? I would _never_ bring down the NOL," she said waspishly. "You may have given me new eyes, but what makes you think I should help you do something so heinous?"

Ragna sighed and said bitterly, "Because if it weren't for your precious Library, you'd never have been taken over by Phantom and tried to kill Makoto and Carl."

Tsubaki scrunched her bed sheets together. "I…suppose…that's…true…" She felt a terrible pool of guilt well up into her throat, and spew forth out of her mouth, "And I wouldn't have been assigned to kill Noel and Jin either…"

Jin tilted his head towards Tsubaki and stared in astonishment. "He…what?" he asked quietly. His voice rose, "If you want to delude yourself that the Librarium still stands to do some good in this world when it seems to be nothing more now than a pawn for Terumi, then _you're not the Tsubaki I knew._"

An awkward silence settled in the room following this comment, until at last Ragna said awkwardly, "Uh…right, I better go check on…Noel…I'll be back." He nodded at Jin and Kokonoe and left. Kokonoe mumbled something about research and excused herself immediately afterwards, leaving Tsubaki and Jin to their devices.

"Tsubaki, you don't honestly think the NOL can do good with someone like Terumi controlling the reigns, do you?" asked Jin icily, "You are far too intelligent to believe that scumbag could any good whatsoever."

"Captain Hazama?" she asked quizzically. "Terumi is one of the former Six Heroes. He betrayed them. Captain Hazama couldn't possibly be Terumi. He _is_ really creepy, but he can't be Terumi, Jin."

Jin laughed harshly and said severely, "Tsubaki, you are blind in more ways than one. Hazama is Terumi. I've fought him. My brother has fought him. Hakumen has fought him. Even Lieutenant Noel Vermillion has fought him. Are you going to take his disguise over the words of four people? Two of whom are supposed to be your friends?"

The words cut into Tsubaki's conscience like a knife. Jin couldn't possibly still see her as a friend after what she'd revealed…could he? And what of Noel? Could she set aside her jealousy and anger long enough to believe her friend? "Jin…I…you still consider me your friend?"

With a grimace Jin turned his head to the ceiling. "Only if you agree to stop blindly supporting the NOL. Tsubaki, I'm not trying to lead you astray here. Izayoi was dangerous and I warned you of it, but you ignored it- look where it left you. If you ignore this warning about the NOL, no one here will hesitate to crush you beneath their feet if you stand in their way," he explained seriously. "You'll be safer with Sector Seven, and as much as I hate to admit it, that cat, my brother and Noel are the best chance we have right now with my spine as useless as it is."

"Your spine…" echoed Tsubaki; her face burst in worried comprehension, "Jin! You're paralyzed? Is it permanent?" She wished she could see Jin to embrace him, "Oh my God, are you alright?"

Jin smirked, though Tsubaki couldn't see it. "Hakumen did quite a number on me, and my spine is still getting readjusted. I probably can't fight for another week or so. That's beside the point though. Tsubaki, get out of the NOL. Phantom possessed you and if it had had its way, it would have killed Noel, Makoto, Carl and I using _your_ body," he said flatly. "I think you owe it, if not to me or anyone else, to yourself for being led astray by Terumi. There will be no justice if we do not stop him."

Tsubaki scrunched the sheets between her hands again. Jin wouldn't let up until she gave him an answer. "Jin…this is…this is a pivotal decision. If I defect, what will that mean for me? I'll have disgraced my family, this uniform and the entire NOL. I will have disgraced myself."

"So? What good do those do if you end up dead? Do you think Terumi gives a damn about you? He probably thought I'd kill you if you tried to fight me. He doesn't give a damn about you or anyone else in the NOL. You're a pawn to him. Your family, your uniform, and the so-called morals they drilled into your head-they are all _meaningless_ before a creature as evil as Terumi. He will _kill_ you if you fail him and will _kill_ you if you succeed. What end do you further in staying the NOL other than your own death?" shouted Jin. "You'll be kept safe, cared for and informed in Sector Seven. _And you won't be asked to kill your goddamn friends either._"

Burning pain flooded Tsubaki's eyes once more, this time coupled with a terrible pounding weight in her chest. With a gasp, she began to sob in earnest, before mumbling, "Jin…I'm sorry…I…" She clutched at her eyes and yelped as the pain grew to a peak, "I've been an idiot…I'll…I'll help Sector Seven." She almost shrieked in pain; her eyes felt as if they might explode, "But I'll do it for you more than anyone else."

Jin sighed and responded, "Alright Tsubaki. Now stop crying. I'm not much use in this condition, so you'll have to stop."

Tsubaki let out a watery chuckle and mumbled, "Thanks Jin." As icy as his exterior was, a small flame of warmth occasionally would flare up within him. It seemed, however, to be reserved only for her.

* * *

**Author's Note: And there we have it. Another chapter down. And…another chapter closer to a lemon. Blowout soon, fellow S.T.A.L.K.E.R.**


	12. An Adieu Never Spoken

**Author's Note:**** Not much to say here; let's proceed, shall we? Oh, wait, I just remembered. I rolled some dice and it looks like no lemon for this chapter. Maybe next time.**

Crimson Azure: Chapter 12

Makoto and Carl's recovery had been much swifter than Tsubaki's had been, needing only simple bed rest and first aid. They both sat opposite Noel, explaining what happened at the branch and why they were there in the first place. Ragna walked up and sat down next to Noel, interjecting, "Well, I left those two alone to do whatever the hell they need to do. What's going on here?"

Carl glared at Ragna's Grimoire, but remained silent. Now was hardly the time to pick a fight, verbal or otherwise. The notes he'd picked up could possibly be a replacement for his Grimoire after all. "We're talking about fighting Tsubaki at the branch while looking for my father," said Carl coolly, "Have you seen him?"

Ragna raised an eyebrow. "Hell no, I haven't," he responded, "Looks like you've come to your senses though. It's about time that you stopped trying to fight me." The previous encounter with Carl and Nirvana still hung heavy in Ragna's mind; those nails hurt.

"Guys, please don't fight," interrupted Makoto, "We're supposed to be on the same team here." She gestured to Noel with her free arm to help; the gash left by Izayoi had proven deep enough to warrant restrictive bandaging.

Catching on, Noel added, "Please don't be like this you two. Fighting each other won't get us anywhere. You should know that Ragna." She looked pleadingly at him and grasped his hand. With a sigh, Ragna nodded and agreed. Carl nodded reluctantly.

"There you four are. Carl, Nirvana is ready, you can summon her again," said Kokonoe, coming through a sliding door, "And do me a favor, and don't steal my damn documents, will you?"

Carl's eyes widened and he rummaged through his pockets; the paper he had taken was gone. "You…how did you know?" he asked in irritated amazement.

Kokonoe rolled her eyes and said, "Did you honestly think I'd just let you get treated without checking through your belongings? You were in an extremely sensitive archive filled with information that shouldn't technically exist. I'm not about to let you waltz through without scrutiny. I know you've been looking for a way to revert Nirvana, why wouldn't I search you? Anyway, that data is almost useless if you want to revert her-it deals with the steps taken to make Ignis more efficient. That said it was useful in helping me out with Nirvana's repairs. She can take more punishment now before needing a recharge and I've improved her dexterity quite a bit. She won't be quite so lumbering now." She glared at Carl and added, "And I'm keeping those documents. They're not something you should have."

Defeated, Carl nodded and summoned Nirvana. "Ada," he called out. With a flash, his marionette sister appeared at his side. Physically, her appearance hadn't changed, but Carl noticed immediately a change in the aura that resonated from her. "What's that sis? Do I have to? I guess you're right. Sorry…" He looked over at Kokonoe and removed his hat respectfully, "My sister's right. You helped us out when you could have thrown us into a clinic or something. Thank you for being so kind." With a bow, he added, "I'm sorry for stealing those documents. I just wanted something that might help…" He furtively looked at Ragna's Grimoire and then stared the Grim Reaper in the face. "Ragna the Bloodedge, um, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have attacked you. I've been a bit…focused on finding my father."

Ragna's eyebrows rose in surprise and, with a chuckle of embarrassment, he replied, "Uh…I guess you've got a point. I've been a bit of a dick." Noel seemed to be rubbing off on him. "Let's just get Terumi, alright? Your dad… Relius is it?" Carl nodded. "He's working with him. I've seen him. If we find him, we find your dad." He rubbed the back of his head and added, "Eh, I guess that means I kinda lied about knowing where your dad's at. Sorry about that…" Ragna felt a hand grasp his and entwine with his fingers; he looked over at Noel and gave her a soft smile.

"Aw," cooed Makoto, "You guys are so _cute_." Kokonoe rolled her eyes and trudged off, mumbling incomprehensibly about the results Noel's fight had provided. "Anyway, I better catch up to Kokonoe; I forgot she's allergic to cuteness."

"Where are you off to?" asked Carl.

"Need to be debriefed and stuff. She hasn't had the chance. I think she's got another assignment for me too," replied Makoto casually, "Man, it's always work with her." She set off after the scientist.

Carl looked over to Ragna and Noel and excused himself. "I should probably go after them; I have to ask Professor Kokonoe some questions about Ada. Please excuse me," he said politely, bowing.

Ragna watched for the door to close before spinning about and kissing Noel fiercely. He pushed his hand into the small of her back and drew her close to him. Noel's eyes widened in surprise, and his lips muffled her squeal of delight; the shock dissolved, and she tenderly cupped his face, passionately returning the kiss. Ragna pulled away for a split second to whisper huskily into her ear, "New form or not, I was worried about you at the branch. That was a pretty sexy move you pulled off though." He smirked and kissed her again, worming his tongue into her mouth to wrestle with her own. Slyly, he tiptoed fingers up her stomach and softly caressed her breast.

"Excuse me, am I interrupting something here?" asked a calm voice. Ragna and Noel turned about and stared directly at a confused Tager who seemed to be unsure as to whether he should have spoken or not.

Evasively, Ragna replied, "Uh…no, nothin's going on Tager, we were just havin' a…a chat." He looked over to Noel for help, but received only a look of embarrassment as she attempted to busy herself with straightening out her dress. "Right, anyway, what is it Tager?"

Tager adjusted his glasses and looked away. "Have any of you seen Taokaka? She's been missing for a few days now, and I fear she may have gotten out into the city," explained Tager. "Any leads?"

Ragna's face slowly perked up. "Now that you mention it, I haven't seen her around anywhere either..." He looked up to Tager and shrugged. "Haven't got a clue Tager. I wouldn't worry too much though; she knows how to take care of herself." At the look of doubt on Tager's face, he added hastily, "Uh, more or less. Maybe we should find out where she got off to…in case, I dunno, she's dined and dashed across the city. Let's go find Tao."

"But Tao is right here Good Guy!" said a muffled, excited voice. A door nearby burst open, and Tao threw herself upon Ragna. "What's going on Good Guy? Did you miss Tao?"

Ragna struggled to pull the cat-girl off himself before saying gruffly, "Damn it, I think I liked it better when you were gone." She jumped off Ragna and pulled Noel into a similar hug, hanging off her back feeling up her chest.

"Lacking Lady! Did you miss Tao too? And what about you Big Guy?" she asked merrily. She prepared herself to jump onto Tager before stopping and sniffing the air. "Hey, what's this?" She took to sniffing Noel's neck, before saying, "Hey! Lacking Lady, have you been wearing Good Guy's clothes or something?"

Noel squealed as she tried to pry Tao off her body. "Tao! Let go of me! Stop feeling me up and sniffing me!" she whined.

Tao jumped off Noel, landing on all fours and smiling knowingly up at the two. With a jump of exuberance, she said in a congratulatory tone, "Lacking Lady and Good Guy are together meow!"

Ragna dug his forehead into his palm and said in disbelief, "Tao, how stupid can you get? We've been together since before we got to Sector Seven."

Tao shook her head. "Nyoooo, you haven't been together! Everyone in the Kaka clan knows you're only with someone else if you start to smell like each other."

Ragna suppressed a dry heave. "What the fuck are you talking about?" Tao continued to bounce around the three, letting loose random exclamations about her "adventures", almost all of which, as Ragna predicted, involved eating at a restaurant and promptly leaving without picking up the check.

"There you are Tao. Give an old man a break, will ya?" said a second familiar voice. The four looked to the doorway Tao had burst through: it was Jubei. "Thanks for keepin' her here Ragna; I thought I'd lost her."

"Master? How could you lose Tao? Aren't you faster than her?" asked Ragna.

Jubei chuckled and said, "Fast or not, I'm getting' old Ragna. No sense in rushing if there isn't a fight to get to, yeah?" He smacked Tao on the crown of her head. "I swear to ya Tao, you better stop running off. If you ever want your training to complete, you need to focus a bit more. You're getting' older, and you oughta learn that aging means not havin' the attention span of a kitten."

Tao rubbed her head and mumbled apologetically, "Tao is sorry Cat-person, mew." Jubei chuckled and waved of the apology, instead directing Tao away, presumably to continue training.

"Guess we don't have to find her after all, eh, Tager?" said Ragna contentedly. "Now, if you'll excuse us…"

Tager gave a small chuckle and stomped off towards Kokonoe. "Right, I'll let you get back to whatever it was you were doing. I better tell Kokonoe that Tao is with Jubei," he said.

Ragna smirked and pulled Noel off towards their room. "Ragna? What are you…" she faltered and noticed the hallway she was being led down. "Honestly, is this all you ever think about?" she said, half-jokingly. Ragna opened the door to their room and leaned against it, his face suddenly quite serious.

"Noel, there ain't anyway to know how each fight from now on will play out," he said quietly, "Might as well take advantage." He swept her inside and closed the door. "This time, I'll actually remember to lock the door." Noel turned about in front of the bed and smiled at Ragna. "Hrm? What's up?" he asked, somewhat puzzled. She reached down and pulled her dress off her body, revealing delicate white lace lingerie. Ragna's jaw dropped. "Uh…shit, I dunno where to start," he muttered.

"What is it Ragna?" asked Noel invitingly.

"Not used to you being so forward…" he admitted, "Or wearing panties…"

Noel giggled and slinked over to him, tugging suggestively at his collar. "I'm not taking them off though," she whispered, "Unless you can convince me."

Ragna stared blankly at Noel before finally replying, "Who are you and what happened to Noel?"

Noel smiled and said simply, "Makoto gave me a few…tips, you could say. I'm glad they worked."

Ragna smirked and gently pushed Noel back towards the bed. "Awesome," he said softly, "Now I get to show you how well."

* * *

Euphoria, it would seem, is fickle, and the two lovers quickly became acquainted with its nature. Noel lay on her back, splayed across the bed, her legs elevated on Ragna's shoulders with his hands holding precariously onto the sides of her panties.

**Okay. Don't be an idiot. Yes…or no? Look into her face, that's where the answer is. Shit, she doesn't know either. Damn it, why isn't there some sort of manual for this shit?**

_Um…he __is__ supposed to lead right? In the novels I've read that's what happens. Oh no, what if he's scared to? Maybe I should say something…_

The two spoke at once, their voices drowning each other's replies out and giving way to embarrassed laughter. Noel sat up and kissed Ragna softly. "Okay, I think next time I'll just nod or something," she said warmly. Ragna nodded his head in agreement.

Several bangs rang out on the door. "Open up! It's Makoto! And thank you Ragna, for finally realizing that apart from Noel, no one really wants to walk in on you," it called out.

Ragna scowled and pulled himself off the bed. "Even with the door locked I can't get a lick of privacy," he muttered. He pulled on his hakama and shirt and opened the door irritably, "The hell do you want Makoto?" Behind him, Noel pulled on her dress and smoothed out some of the wrinkles before joining him at his side.

"It's time for dinner, you guys got a place in mind?" she asked cheerily. Unseen, Noel gave Makoto a smile of thanks and looked tellingly at Ragna. With a grin, the beastkin gave her a furtive thumbs-up and said, "Because I was thinking of this one place out near the top of the city."

Ragna shrugged and pulled his coat out from the room. "Sure, whatever. I can't exactly pay…" he looked over at Noel who rolled her eyes and nodded, "But looks like someone can." The three set off.

* * *

The cold chill that filled the air swept about Rachel, but its bitter touch was swept away with her hot tea. A set of elaborate runes sat before her, glowing faintly in the darkened night. "Valkenhayn," she said quietly, "Our guest will arrive soon. Some more tea if you will. And please, prepare yourself. Each encounter is undoubtedly…an adventure." Valkenhayn obliged, bowing deeply and standing beside the circle of runes after pouring her tea. An explosion of light spewed forth from the circles of runes, and a tortured moan filled the air. "Nine, a pleasure as always; it is a terrible shame it always under such a guise however," said Rachel conversationally.

Phantom sat in the middle of the circle of runs, bent over as runic energies crackled menacingly about her. A voice seemed to echo distantly from her hat, growing steadily louder until it burst forth out of the circle of runes in a beam of light, giving way to the ethereal form of the late Nine. "Rachel," she said softly, her voice filled with the unending pain of her binding, "The unit's getting closer to being completed. There's only four days left until it's fully regenerated, and another week before Relius and Terumi launch their attack." She staggered and shrieked out in pain-the runes about her crackled loudly, arcing electricity across Phantom and Nine's spirit. "I hope you're prepared. Terumi is going to get into Sector Seven. I can guarantee it. That unit is just too strong to be stopped." Another crackle of electricity left her doubled over, coughing.

Rachel's face twisted into a frown. "Konoe," she said quietly, "You've said enough. Do not manifest yourself again unless it is imperative. You are destroying your constitution. I thank you for the information. Return to your sphere of protection." She gestured to Valkenhayn to begin the sealing procedure.

"Wait!" said Konoe desperately, coughing, "Jubei…Kokonoe…are they alright?" The worried lines of a wife and mother, forcibly estranged, shone through in her face.

Rachel nodded. "Jubei seems to have taken on a new pupil after a certain hero decided he could do without his guidance. Your daughter on the other hand…" she explained. Konoe's face shifted into pained sadness. "She is well. Thick-headed and stubborn, as always," added Rachel with a soft smirk, "But I believe the Grim Reaper and the Eye have, unknowingly, drilled some sensibility into her head."

"Madame Rachel, your talk with Kokonoe should not be discounted," added Valkenhayn respectfully, "It did much to spur her to look past the powers of…" Rachel looked at Valkenhayn severely and shook her head tellingly.

Konoe, however, seemed to have not heard, as she dropped to her knees and muttered, "Thank you Rachel. I need to go. If anything new develops I will…" Another crackle of electricity cut off her explanation.

Rachel nodded. "Do not strain yourself further," said Rachel finally, "Go, before Phantom is missed." Konoe chuckled.

"Phantom is never missed…" she said lightly. Her ethereal form dissipated, and Phantom began to stir, struggling with increasing vigor against her binding.

Rachel nodded to Valkenhayn, who launched himself into the circle, a mass of runes encircling his hands. "Be gone!" he shouted viciously at Phantom, who dissipated. He turned to Rachel and said, "Madame, if I could speak freely for a moment?" Rachel nodded. "I do not think we should seek counsel with Phantom for the remaining time we have before Terumi and Relius begin their attack. It may betray our knowledge of their activities."

"Very astute Valkenhayn," she said simply, "Which is precisely why I told Nine to no longer come to us unless it was of dire importance. I do not believe, however, that any such event will occur in the coming days. We know all that is needed to prepare. Come, let us do so." Valkenhayn nodded and followed Rachel through the portal. Rachel stopped for a moment and looked over her shoulder at a nearby rock. "Kokonoe. Come along. It is senseless to stay there," she said.

Kokonoe sat behind the rock, hugging her knees as tears dripped slowly down her face. It had been years since she last heard her mother's voice. 'She couldn't even know I was here either…' she thought miserably. 'Terumi needs to die…He just has to.' She sniffed and said, with a brave attempt at her usual, severe tone, "Shut up. I'm coming." Rachel turned about again grimly. Devastation, family's torn apart, and legions slaughtered, all centered on a single perpetrator. Kokonoe was right to weep.

* * *

The hollow echo of banging steel roused Ragna from sleep. Someone was knocking on his door. "For the love of…again? Who is it this time?" he grumbled. He opened the door sleepily and rolled his eyes. "Kokonoe? Come to tell me another bullshit thing about…" He stopped in his tracks. "Are you…crying?"

Kokonoe stood defiantly before Ragna, ignoring the tears running down her face. "You asked me why I hate Terumi. He killed Nine. He killed Caelica. My mother. My aunt. Dead. Because of him." She buried her face in her hands and sobbed. "Kill him Ragna. Noel will only soften him up. She's too innocent. The deathblow has to be you. Kill him. Please."

A terrible mixture of rage and pity welled up in Ragna. This was not the Kokonoe he knew at all. But now, the last few days fell into place and made perfect sense. The sleepless nights, the countless hypotheses, the anger and outbursts-all of them fueled by the vengeance of a daughter ripped from her mother. Behind him, Noel stirred, and the feelings of rage and pity mixed with yet more righteous fury and worry. "He's dead, Kokonoe. I promise," he said quietly.

* * *

**Author's Note: Pain and fury invariably unite the smote. Until next time.**


	13. Dawn

**Author's Notes: Well, now that I've got a new, functioning laptop (what an escapade that was) I can continue along with my writing. I love you and all iPad, but shit, you suck for writing.**

Crimson Azure: Chapter 13

Ragna walked numbly back to his bed after consoling Kokonoe. With a sigh he sat down at the edge and looked over at Noel. The stakes, he realized, had risen far higher than he had anticipated. Kokonoe's mother and Caelica, both killed by Terumi... He knew that Caelica had been killed by that bastard, but it had never occurred to him that she might be Kokonoe's aunt.

** The hell am I gonna do? I promised Kokonoe I'd kill that bastard. And fuck if I won't. That sick sonofabitch is gonna fucking pay.**

He turned to look at Noel before looking dejectedly at the ground. "Noel...We might not make it through this. I swear though, I ain't lettin' that bastard get through to you, even if it kills me," he whispered. In response, Noel mumbled something incoherent before rolling over. He stared down at his bare feet and rubbed his eyes. Quietly, he got dressed and left his room, closing the door to the room with a soft snap.

**I need to take a walk. Figure this shit out. Better grab some coffee on my way out...**

Ragna set off, wandering down the corridors of Sector Seven, stopping shortly in a common area where a pot of coffee, eternally brewing, sat. Ragna poured himself a cup and downed it, black, before downing two more. His throat burning, and body slowly warming from the fluid, he made his way towards one of the many auxiliary exits and stepped out into the cold, early morning air. The sun had yet to rise. With a sigh, he cracked his neck and set off towards a wooded area he'd seen during his travels around the city with Makoto and Noel. He walked slowly through the trees, but after only a minute of walking, stopped and turned about. He could still clearly make out the slumbering city, and sighed in relief. He held up his arm and mumbled quietly, a light consolidated in his fist and gently dislodged from it, forming a perfect sphere that hovered soundlessly before him, emitting a soft, white light. His ars beacon now placed, he would have little trouble finding his way back to the exit of the woods.

**Heh. If Noel had had the brains to use this, or shit, even Tager or Makoto, they never woulda been separated in the first place. Then again, I wouldn't've bumped into her and none of this would've happened.**

Ragna stared blankly at the lake he had happened upon and kicked a rock into it, depressed. After Kokonoe's breakdown, the reality that had set in we beginning to condense, and the weight it brought upon his chest seemed to grow only heavier. He sat down beside the lake and threw pebbles into it to occupy himself. Slowly, the icy grip of realization sank deeper into his heart.

** The more shit I get that I'm happy about, the more shit Terumi has to try and take from me. That fucking bastard. There's now way I could act like I don't care about Noel. What the fuck does the new form even do for me, anyway? I haven't done shit yet with it, it's just been Noel.**

He looked down at his Grimoire and stared intently at it. The Idea Engine, and forcing it into Noel, as opposed to just activating it for himself, let her attune to the Azure as she once had when she had been tempered. What did the new form do for him though?

**We've all been so fuckin' wrapped up in this new form, that I haven't even figured out how vulnerable it is. It's just been power...power...power...**

Ragna looked down at his Grimoire in worry. Power. Rachel had warned him. A white mask formed in his head. _Black Beast._ He needed to speak with her. She was holding something from him. Somehow, he had a feeling... "Rachel?" he said quietly.

The soft footfalls of high-heeled boots on grass sang out beside him, followed by an elegant voice, "My, my, is the Grim Reaper reflecting? You continue to surprise me. How did you know that I had appeared?"

Ragna stared at his Grimoire and mumbled, "I just had a feeling." He stared back out at the lake and threw another pebble in. "I'm not one for this depressed shit, Rachel," he said after a pause. He got to his feet and turned to face her, "Shit's bad right now. Kokonoe wants Terumi dead. _I_ want Terumi dead. But this thing..." he held up his Grimoire, "There's something you aren't telling me. It absorbs souls. It keeps them there. It's a miniature Cauldron, isn't it?"

Rachel averted her gaze and focused instead on a frill of her dress. "Hardly," she said flatly, "Execrable as it may be for you, do try and _think_ about what your Grimoire may be."

Ragna grimaced. "You know," he growled, "Give me some credit that I actually know what the fuck execrable means. Then again, almost everything out of your bitchy mouth is a god damn insult. So, why not surprise me for once and tell me just what the fuck this thing really is?" Ragna's gaze hardened; there was something more to his fury now-no longer was is a spike of annoyance from a flippant insult, but instead genuine, passionate wrath.

Rachel noticed this, and with a smirk, said breezily, "My, it seems the Grim Reaper learned something after all." She gave him her full attention and said seriously, "Ragna, in the enormously short time-frame between the start of your journey and now you've have learned once more the nuances that we ascribe to _humanity_. Trust, love and co-reliance: all of them outmoded terms for the Grim Reaper of yesterday, but now rising pillars within his, admittedly, empty head. Only a short while ago did I remind you in Kagutsuchi that you hold great power in that arm, and alongside that power a terrible, infectious burden."

The rising sun played across the lake and cast the entire scene into a dull orange glow, temporarily blinding Ragna as the rays reflected off the glassy surface into his eyes. "Perhaps now, you can use your reforged humanity to triumph over the harsh truth: your Azure Grimoire is flesh of the Black Beast made steel, and you are it's vessel. If you allow your humanity to waver, it will consume you. For all the hatred and bitterness that has welled within you because of Terumi and his actions, you have retained purpose and the last shreds of your humanity in pursuance of righteous and just revenge. Your path, however, clouded as your ventured, and when you arrived at Kagutsuchi, the stage was set for a decision. Either Ragna the Bloodege would emerge victorious, clenching tightly the spoils of his revenge, or the world would give way to chaos, as your physical form dissipated, replaced instead with the renewal of the hellish Beast made whole once more."

Ragna walked out towards the lake and sat at its very edge. Water gently lapped against the tips of his boots and with a sigh, he stared at the sunrise. "Figures," he said quietly, "Thanks Rachel." He waved his hand towards her, indicating she could leave. Rachel smirked; she was never one to listen to orders, much less orders from _Ragna_, but with little else to do but goad him, she chose to oblige. The soft footfalls from behind him dissipated and Ragna closed his eyes.

**You owe everyone a fuckin' explanation.**

For all that had happened, and all that was, the time for reflection had passed. _Acta non verba_.

* * *

Ragna could hear the sounds of talking through the door; everyone was in the infirmary for some reason or another. He kicked the door open and walked briskly up to the foot of Jin's bed where Noel, Makoto and Carl were gathered. Kokonoe and Tager, oddly enough, happened to be only a few feet away, discussing a clipboard clutched by the cat-scientist. Ragna gave Noel a swift kiss on the cheek. "Alright, can't fuckin' sugar coat this shit," said Ragna bluntly, his mouth now speaking independently of his brain, "This arm I got is a fake Azure Grimoire. It's also the body of the Black Beast. If I fuck up and lose my humanity, shit's over and it comes alive. Guess that's why Hakumen hates me so damned much." Ragna smiled weakly at this, but felt his face fall into seriousness as the expression upon everyone's face.

Silence is a terrifying phenomenon. At last, Noel managed to choke out, "Wh-what?" The revelation seemed to have been entirely incompatible with the mental processes of every individual present, as their faces remained entirely dumbfounded.

**Okay, I think I was a little **_**too**_** blunt there.**

"Ragna...why...why didn't you tell us this?" squeaked Noel at last. Her voice seemed to be on the verge of breaking apart. "Why...why now?"

Ragna looked dejectedly at the ground and mumbled, "I only just found this out myself." Silence settled once more upon his stunned audience.

"Okay, well that at least explains why you've got so much damn soul energy in that thing," said Kokonoe matter-of-factly, "Alright, well tough shit. Don't go crazy when you fight Terumi then." She turned back to Tager and added huffily, "Tager, wipe that dumbass look off your face. He's not going to fucking eat you right now."

"Kokonoe, be reasonable," sputtered Tager, "If anything goes wrong in their ascended form, he could very well turn into the Beast."

She waved off the remark. "Please," she said knowingly, "The Black Beast is a being of enormous power. It operates off of pure hate and an insatiable lust for power. Ragna may _hate_ Terumi, but he hardly seems drunk with power." Her eyes flashed and she turned to face him. "But I swear Ragna, if you get thirsty for it and become the Beast, I'm going to fucking nuke you." With a terrifically twisted smirk, she added, "Deal? Good."

"Hmph. My brother is far too soft to ever seek power if it isn't dropped into his lap," said Jin in annoyance, "It's unsurprising that he hasn't become the Beast. He doesn't harbor the drive to seize what he desires." He closed his eyes and added reluctantly, "I guess the planet owes him that, if anything."

Tsubaki fidgeted with her sheets and said nothing. She still felt alien, even with Jin beside her. Worry filled her stomach; the Black Beast was a few steps away from the all? Granted, it was Ragna, and as long as Ragna retained his humanity, whatever that meant, they would be fine, but... 'Humanity...he's slaughtered legions of NOL soldiers and destroyed branches without the slightest hint of remorse,' she thought, 'Where's the humanity?' The realization hit her full-on and filled her with sick guilt. 'He let me live,' she thought sadly, 'He's been fighting Terumi this whole time for revenge. He's even gotten Noel to fall for him. There is some good in him...somewhere.'

Carl's eyes, which had widened considerably, finally began to relax and with a nervous, shaky laugh said, "Uh, well, Mr. Ragna the Bloodedge, I don't think I'll really be needing your Azure Grimoire anymore..." In an undertone he added, "That could have been bad sis."

Makoto finally spoke up. "Ragna..." she said quietly, "You're absolutely sure you have this under control?" Ragna nodded slowly. With a shiver, Makoto added, "Please, I'm being serious here. If you don't have that thing under control you're putting everyone at risk. Especially Noel." Ragna felt a surge of guilt flow through his entire body. She just _had_ to mention Noel.

As if on cue, Noel spoke up, her voice barely audible. "Ragna..." she whispered, "We need to talk in private." She grasped his hand and pulled him away. "I'm sorry everyone."

They watched their back retreat before Makoto said, "I...I dunno how to feel right now. I mean, I expected everyone here to freak out."

Kokonoe sighed in an agitated manner and motioned for Tager to follow her. "Of course no one freaked out," she said huffily, "What good would that have done? It's not like Ragna was expecting us to do something about his arm if we did freak out. So he's the Black Beast if he screws up, big deal. He won't screw up."

Makoto stared at Kokonoe. "How can you be so sure?" she asked, worry still permeating her tone.

Kokonoe stopped for a moment to consider Makoto before shrugging and saying cryptically, "He promised me."

* * *

Ragna sat down, depression sinking deeper into his heart by the second. She was going to leave him. Hate him. Something terrible was going to happen. Noel locked the door behind her and leaned against it. With a sigh, she pulled off her hat and shook her hair loose. "Ragna," she said quietly, "What did you mean by "lose your humanity?"

"Shit, I don't know Noel," he said lamely, "I mean, I barely fucking know what Rabbit meant by gaining it in the first place." He clutched his head and moaned. "I just need to keep you safe. I know that's part of it."

Noel sat down on Ragna's lap and pulled on his chin so he could meet her eyes. "Ragna, you have to know what that means," she said quietly, "Otherwise, why would Rachel have told you that you got it back in the first place?" Ragna averted his gaze and shook his head; his brain was fizzling now that he was alone with Noel. She planted a soft kiss on his cheek and whispered, her tone almost pleading, "Ragna. Something made you human again. I've noticed it. I don't care if your arm can turn you into the Black Beast because I know you'd never let something like that happen." She searched his eyes before adding, the tone of desperation sounding firmly in her voice now, "Right?"

Ragna dropped his chin onto Noel's shoulder and sighed. "Noel...I suck at this emotion shit," he said quietly, "What the hell do I tell you? I mean..." He stopped and then chuckled weakly. "I'm a fuckin' retard." He wrapped his arms around her small frame and buried his face in her chest. "It's fucking you," he said feebly, "It's you." Noel made a noise of incomprehension and jumped when Ragna's head snapped up to stare he in the eyes. "Noel, I ran into you in the forest. And from there shit's gone uphill for once. Like, shit, I'm actually fucking happy for once. We got a chance to beat Terumi. This shitty ordeal involving him and everything he's ever done gets put six feet under." He embraced her and kissed her neck. "All fucking thanks to you."

Noel blushed and stammered out a response. "R-ragna, I...I can't have done all that for you." She felt her face growing hotter. "I m-mean, what did I d-do?"

"That whole human shit. Whatever Rabbit was talking about," explained Ragna, "That's 'cuz of you." Noel squeaked and looked away from Ragna again, embarrassed. "Don't be stupid now," he needled jokingly. "Give yourself some credit."

Noel shook her head. "But I didn't _do_ anything," she stuttered, "I-I m-mean...w-what did I do?"

Ragna looked away for a moment. "Uh..." he started, "You..." He felt color rise in his cheeks. "Made me love again." Ragna looked at Noel-her face was beet red. "Noel? You okay?"

With a cry of joy, Noel embraced him. "Ragna, do you really mean that?" she asked thickly. He felt patches of wet cloth touch his shoulder; she was crying.

Ragna patted her back awkwardly. "Did I say something wrong?" he asked.

Noel cupped his face in her hands and said quietly, "I love you, Ragna." She kissed him passionately. At a loss for words, Ragna gently fell back onto the mattress and returned the kiss.

_Acta non verba._

* * *

**Author's Notes: Yet another chapter down. How this progresses is painfully obvious, but hey, I need a reason for you to come back now, don't I?**


	14. To Bloom, To Wilt

**Author's Notes:**** What's needed to be said has been said. Onward. Sucked into the supermassive indeed.**

Crimson Azure: Chapter 14

Ragna held himself above Noel, panting. A tangled mess of bedsheets had wound themselves about the lover's bodies, holding the two closer together. With a playful smirk, he tugged on the hem of her panties, bringing them steadily lower until he felt her hand grab his arm. A bite of worry gripped him, until he noticed her expression. With a seductive smile, Noel slid them off her body and threw them carelessly aside. She wound an arm behind his head and pulled him into another deep kiss. Ragna slid a hand slowly down her stomach and felt his way inside of her. With a small gasp, Noel arched her back into Ragna and mumbled something incomprehensible thickly through his lips. Slowly he worked his fingers steadily faster, her moans rising in pitch and intensity until she grabbed his wrist, arms shaking considerably. With a small sigh, Ragna whispered, "Stupid." He unbuckled his pants and pulled them off. Noel blushed and looked away.

_Oh God. I wasn't expecting that. __**Hope it fits. **__What! __**I repeat, hope it fits. Actually, let's find out.**__ Huh!_

Ragna stared at Noel's naked form, unsure what to do next, when an arm grabbed his underwear and yanked it roughly down. With a squeak, Noel covered her eyes; she was certain her face was glowing red. "Uh, Noel? Is my dick offensive or somethin'?" asked Ragna clumsily. Noel shook her head, still red in the face and began fumbling with her fingers, gloriously failing to get any words out of her mouth short of squeaks and noises humans likely can't make. With a sigh, Ragna shook his head and lowered himself between her legs, spreading them apart slowly. "Nevermind, just..." he paused, unsure what he could say, and instead chose to shrug and lick at the soft folds. With a gasp and shudder, Noel reached down to hold Ragna's head in place. Steadily, his rhythm increased, until Noel's moans reached a fever pitch, and she clamped her legs involuntarily about him, cementing him into her groin.

Ragna rose up after her legs gave way and dropped, trembling to the side and with a smirk positioned himself above her. Softly, he prodded her and mumbled, "Noel? You...uh...ready?" She had shut her eyes, almost instinctively and cracked one open to look up at him. She squeezed it shut again and nodded. With a sigh, he pressed forward, feeling his way gently through the flesh into her. He stopped when her hands had clenched very tightly around his shoulders. "Noel?" he whispered. She shook her head and pulled him closer. Silent understanding filled him and he pushed himself completely inside. Sharp pain flooded her abdomen and his shoulders, he nails digging in deeper with the thrust. She gasped and felt herself trembling. Ragna slid slowly out and back in, and the stabbing pain within her lessened. With each gentle thrust, it dipped further away, and before long, the mounting licks of pleasure were welling within her.

Pleased that her grip had loosened and her face was no longer set in an expression of pain, Ragna lost himself to a more base nature. Each thrust grew harder and more wild than the last, and in minutes the entire bed was squeaking and quaking, the soft groans of love mingling with the lewd sound of skin colliding. Losing herself steadily to the tides of euphoria, Noel found herself flipped over on all fours and Ragna working more furiously than ever. Pain. "Ragna! Ow! Don't pull my hair!" she whimpered, looking back at him.

Ragna stopped, still inside her and smiled sheepishly. "Oh, shit...Sorry, I got...a little excited I guess..." He went more slowly now, building into a steady rhythm that drove Noel's moans into a slowly rising tempo, rising and dropping in pitch with each thrust. He felt himself reach for her hair again but slapped his arm away. Now was not the occasion. With a smirk, he decided upon something else, and took firm hold of her hips, leaning back until he was flat on his back and had flipped her from being on all four's to riding atop him.

With a gasp, Noel looked about and felt his hands move slowly to her rear and begin to guide her along his length. He could see everything. With a blush of embarrassment, she turned to look over her shoulder at him and mumbled out, "Ragna...this...this is kinda..." Spikes of pleasure began to course through her more rapidly; she tilted forward and began to move herself up and down more quickly. "Nevermind..." she groaned.

Everything was coming to a head within the two lovers, and the voracity of their love-making was matched only by it's clumsiness. Entwined awkwardly at times, kissing, moaning, falling and groping, the two thrashed about the bed before falling to the floor; finally tired of their own laughter, they pressed on, now moving wildly about the room. With a groan, Noel raked her nails along the wall, her breasts pressed flat against it, the cold texture contrasting sharply to the repetitious warmth of Ragna's thrusts. Her slick walls were steadily closing in around him with each push, and when his advances became too much for his restraint to bear, he pulled her roughly to the twisted, lumped sheets of the bed and lay her across it. With several long thrusts, he punctuated each pause with, "Noel...I'm...gonna...cum..." Driven over the edge, Noel could say little, instead digging her nails into his back and clamping her legs tightly behind him. Two long moans in different pitches and registers, and with a push that coursed through her entire body, he released himself, falling promptly to her side.

With a smile, she kissed him. For a few moments, she lay there beside her panting lover when the strange feeling of his seed running out of her drove her stand and walk to the tiny attached bathroom. Each step drove his love further down her legs and with an almost indulgent smirk Noel thought quietly, mind still clouded with the lens of lust, 'This feels really dirty. Really, really dirty.' She stopped before the shower and slowly turned the knob. 'I like it.' She stepped into the warming water and rinsed herself of the slick sweat from her body. She shook her head, loosening her hair from it's tangled prison and almost yelped when she felt a hand trace a finger down her spine. A terribly familiar length slid lewdly along the valley her rear created. "R-ragna?" she asked quietly, "What are you doing?" A hand slid up to her breast and caressed it.

" 'M not done yet," he whispered lustfully, "Not by a long-shot."

* * *

Noel emerged from their room some time later, Ragna sleeping behind her. A look of content graced his face, clashing terribly with his haphazard position and with his utter lack of clothing. The dull ache between her legs filled plastered a smirk to her face, and rebounded increasingly naughty recollections of what had transpired in her head. As she rounded the corner, thinking she'd visit Tsubaki, she walked directly into Makoto. "Oh, hi Makoto," she said quietly, trying to skirt past her, fear setting in, clashing terribly with the mild sense of perversion about her. "I'm on my way to visit Tsubaki."

_I hope she doesn't ask why I'm blushing a little. Oh God, what if she can tell? Is my hair messed up? Oh no...I didn't clean up._

Makoto looked at Noel and smiled knowingly. Her hair was absolutely everywhere, her clothes were rumpled and the color in her cheeks could only mean one thing: something saucy had happened. With a wider, almost maniacal grin she pulled an arm around Noel and drew her head down level with hers. "Noel?" she asked in false innocence, "Your hair is everywhere. What happened?"

Noel felt a stone slip into her stomach and her face burn. "Uh...um," she stammered, "I...um, I was taking...um, a nap...and...um..." Her friend giggled and poked her in the side. "Um, I...um...um..."

With a broad smile Makoto pulled Noel into a tight hug and lifted her into the air. "Oh Noellee, you're so cute! You can't hide what happened from me," she said gleefully.

Noel shook her head. "I don't...I don't know what you're t-talking about Makoto," she stuttered.

Makoto smirked and put her friend down. "Well, if that's the case, I better go ask Ragna if he wants to come along for lunch." Noel jumped in front of her, arms held wide and shook her head vigorously. "What's the matter Noellee? You don't want him to come along?" she asked in mock innocence.

Noel stared into Makoto's eyes and weighed her options. As the beastkin tried to scoot past her, she pushed her back and almost shouted, "He's naked, please don't!" Before the words had even cracked the air, she covered her mouth and stared, mortified, directly at Makoto.

Makoto began to laugh in earnest and pulled Noel into another hug. "Noel, you're so cute sometimes," she said merrily. "Didn't know you had it in you. Well, actually, I do now, I mean, you had to have had it _in you_, you know?"

Noel pulled her beret over her face and mumbled, "That was a terrible pun Makoto."

* * *

Ragna's dream was becoming increasingly bizarre. He privately wondered why he was floating in a vast abyss of pure white when an eerie voice echoed out of it.

_Rag...na..._

**The hell? Who is that? Who are you?**

_Rag...na...come...closer..._

**I swear, if you're a ghost...this is the last fucking thing I need right now, a god damn ghost to show up. You better not be a fucking ghost.**

A figure was floating towards him, dressed in a wispy sort of gown. Her hair. Her face. Her eye.

**Nu? The hell are you doing in my dreams?**

Nu looked up at Ragna and broke into a smile. She rushed at him, her ghostly presence not quite registering with Ragna yet and embraced him, digging her face into his chest.

_Ragna! Ragna! Nu has finally found Ragna again!_

The cheer in her voice was quivering; she was sobbing.

**Nu? Nu, why are you crying?**

_Nu is just so happy to see Ragna again! She keeps hearing Ragna's voice echo here...but most of the time there's just the sound of...terrible moaning..._

Perhaps he couldn't hear it without being told, but at once, the sounds of his victims filled his ears. It was even worse than when he ascended Noel. All around him, the tortured screams of the damned surrounded him. He felt himself instinctively clutch Nu more tightly.

**Gh-ghosts? No, please, not fucking ghosts, I swear, anything but fucking ghosts.**

Nu drew herself closer to Ragna, her small frame trembling uncontrollably against him. Distracted, he looked back at her.

**What's wrong Nu?**

_Nu doesn't want Ragna to go...but...Ragna has to go soon. Nu can feel him fading away._

**What are you talking about? I'm...**

He felt himself growing lightheaded. She was right-he was fading away somehow.

**Nu...I...I'm sorry. I'm not doing this on purpose...**

_Nu understands Ragna. Nu will wait for Ragna forever. Please come back to Nu soon Ragna. Nu is...lonely._

The girl waved sadly to him, her body now floating away from him-no, he was floating away from her, up and out, into the whiteness. His head was threatening to dislodge itself from him: it was so light. What was happening?

**Nu! Nu, I'll help you somehow!**

He could not hear what she said in response, only that he had floated away completely, and now his surroundings had turned as black as night. The moans had dissipated, and given way to a familiar voice.

* * *

"Ragna!" said Noel clearly for the umpteenth time, "Wake up!" For emphasis, she slapped his face once, although softly, and was startled to see his eyes open almost immediately.

"Hngh.." he groaned, "Sorry...I'm awake...I'm awake. Had a weird ass fuckin' dream. Least...I think it was a dream." He stared at his arm and shook his head. "Guys," he started, "Remember..."

A loud voice cracked in his ear, "Ragna!" With a cringe of pain, he clutched the offending ear. "Get yer ass back to my lab this instant! Just realized that we haven't run an important test!" Kokonoe, demanding and as abrupt as ever, left it at that.

"Ugh," he muttered, "Fuck it. I'll tell you about it later. Pissy cat will just shout in my ear again if I don't head over. Let's go." He stood up and walked to the door only to find himself stopped by Noel, who tugged on his arm and squealed. He looked back at her and raised an eyebrow. "What?" She gestured in embarrassment to him and comprehension hit him in the face. He was naked. "Uh...shit, thanks babe." He shuffled over to his clothes and pulled them on. "Alright, now we can get going." He stopped, hand hand holding the doorknob and stared quizzically at Noel. "What?"

Her face seemed to be stuck in a mild fit of incomprehension. It at last broke and she blurted out, "Did you just call me babe?"

Ragna smiled sheepishly and opened the door, "Course not hon', it's just your imagination."

"Enough with the pet names!" she said in mild exasperation. "It sounds so weird coming out of your mouth!"

With another embarrassed grin, Ragna put his arm around her waist and drew her close. "I...uh...sorry, it's kinda a nasty side effect, I guess," he explained, "I mean, I ain't ever had a girlfriend, much less fucked anyone, so I think it's the sex high talking more than anything. I'll be back to my brooding, pissed off self soon. You'd think that dream woulda killed it but..."

Noel looked up at him. "What dream?"

Ragna could not answer, as they had arrived at Kokonoe's lab area; the doors before them opened and revealed her annoyed stare. The couple stepped into the lab and found why her disposition seemed palpably worse-Rachel sat nearby sipping tea. "About time. Get in here and ascend Noel again Ragna, I gotta find out what kinda shit you can do," she said irritably.

"Evidently, the scrutinizing gaze of this scientist turns a blind eye to unimportant details," needled Rachel, "Such as, perhaps, if the catalyst for this new-found power has anything to gain."

"Right, right," he said lazily, waving off Rachel's remark, "I was gonna bring this up to Kokonoe anyway." The cat-scientist looked, if possible, even worse and sat heavily down to observe a series of screens. It would seem that being out-thought by Ragna was more than she could bear to snap at. A bright light flashed, and Noel was floating before them all once again. "Alright, with that shit outta the way, let's see if I can finally fuckin' do something new myself."

"Tager! Get your ass in there and spar with him!" shouted Kokonoe angrily. With a sigh, the Red Devil obliged and stepped into the open testing area. Ragna smirked and launched himself at him and abruptly crashed into the wall behind the behemoth.

"Okay, what the fuck," he said angrily to no-one in particular, "Let's try that again." He overshot once more and came to a skidding stop before the next wall. "I'm too fast for my own good?" He looked over at Tager, who shrugged and proceeded to stomp towards him. For the third time, he launched himself at Tager and successfully collided with him, an act that did little but stagger Tager and bring Ragna the sensation of what a headfirst run into a building felt like. "Gah! Shit, that hurt!" He staggered to his feet and looked up at Tager, who shrugged once more and aimed a hefty punch at him. "Whoa, whoa!" Ragna crossed his arms before him and braced for impact. After a moment, he looked up, confused. "Ain't you gonna...WHAT THE HELL?" The punch had stopped harmlessly, blocked entirely by his arms. Tager, clearly flustered, aimed another, much heftier punch, but only succeeded in pushing Ragna back. "Hell yeah! It's on Tager!" He flipped back and dashed forward again, this time jumping and aiming a punch squarely at Tager's chest; the effect was spectacular, sending the cyborg flying into the wall behind him and denting it severely. Tager clambered out of the hole and saw Ragna rush at him with Blood-Scythe held aloft; with an expert flick, he swung at him with the blunted side, knocking him up and into the ceiling where he hung for a beat before crashing into the floor.

"Alright that's enough! I can't have you kill the damn guy," said Kokonoe with a strange mix of irritation and glee. "Tager, get yer ass up and patch yourself up."

"Ugh...that was horrendous..." he groaned, "Kokonoe, why am I the test dummy each time?"

"Because you're the size of a building and twice as heavy," she snapped, "Clean up and stop bitching." She ran her hands along the keys before her and read the lines and graphs that appeared so quickly her eyes appeared blurred. "You're three times as strong and four times as fast. No visible strains on your body. Looks like you're good to go."

Ragna couldn't help but grin like an idiot at those around him. He had more of a chance now than ever. Terumi would stand no chance between him and Noel.

"Do try and remember to control yourself Ragna," chimed in Rachel, her voice laden with warning, "The Black Beast is only a heartbeat away if you lose yourself."

Noel stared at Rachel and then Ragna in alarm. She had almost forgotten, he was on the verge of becoming the Beast if his humanity faltered. Her worry began to flood her limbs. If the fight with Terumi became desperate, Ragna could succumb...if he succumbed... She looked fearfully at Ragna. The thought of losing him...of him becoming the Beast...it felt all too real. Ragna turned about and looked at Noel, a wide grin plastered across his face. His lips moved, but she couldn't hear anything-fear had taken her hearing from her. Ragna's grin began to fade and he walked towards her, reaching a hand out to pull her down from her seemingly paralyzed floating. Noel shrieked. He was emanating an increasingly darker aura and it was beginning to swirl wildly about him. Ragna stared down at himself, his grin gone and a look of pure horror etched into his face.

"The fuck is happening to me!" he shouted. "Make it stop! I haven't even fucking done anything evil here!" He looked pleadingly at Noel, his features distorting, becoming more bestial and the aura growing steadily in size. He clutched at his head, fearing it might split open in pain. "I can't turn off...this...goddamn form!" Something hit him squarely, forcefully on the back of the head and everything went dark. The aura did not dissipate, and he seemed to still be transforming. Noel looked up, terrified at Rachel, who held her umbrella up at Noel.

"Do not move," she said quietly, "I do not wish to kill you." Pain. Noel saw stars blink before her and she was falling. The last she saw was the aura about Ragna receding before painful oblivion embraced her.

* * *

**Author's Note: Gasp! Another cliffhanger? Yes, another cliffhanger. Hope you enjoyed the chapter.**


	15. Melancholy

Crimson Azure: Chapter 15

Noel awoke in the secondary infirmary and glanced around. What had happened? Last she remembered, Rachel told her to not move, then pain and followed by blackness. She sat up and rubbed the back of her head; it was bandaged and she felt a bump through the light dressings. Someone had knocked her out. Her memories flooded back into her and intense worry filled her. "Ragna!" she said aloud, fearful. At an adjacent bed, a figure groaned.

"Ugh..." moaned Ragna, "Wh-what? The hell's goin' on?" He got up slowly; everything hurt. "Noel?" he slurred, "S'goin' on? You 'k?" He glanced over at her, his head alight with pain. An illusion of two blurry Noel's slowly came into sharper focus and coalesced into a single entity. "Th-the hell happened?"

A figure strode into the room. "We're trying to figure that out. You two scared the shit out of me." It was Kokonoe. "During that transformation, something happened and you started turning into the Black Beast. We don't know what caused it, because every reading I have prior to the actual transformation is completely normal. No elevated stress, no spikes in energy, and nothing that would suggest that the problem was coming from your end..." She stopped for a moment and then turned to look at Noel. "Which can, unfortunately for us, only mean one thing." Kokonoe's appraising stare aroused a wide-eyed stare in Noel. "Noel showed heightening signs of stress even before the transformation occurred. Stress that kicked in right around the time that..."

A certain vampire interrupted. "The moment I mentioned the Black Beast, this incident began." Rachel strode into the room, paying no mind to the angered scowl on Kokonoe's face. "Noel, you are the Eye of the Azure yet. What you see...is what occurs in this reality."

"S'impossible." Ragna shook his head to clear his daze, "I stopped that shit when...Terumi turned her into that...thing. No way she can still be the Eye..." Noel gave a timid nod in agreement. "What the hell happened to make her the Eye again?"

"The merging of your energies, the Idea Engine, the release of restriction on your Azure Grimoire...it is processed differently by Noel's body than yours Ragna." She looked at the ground, her features troubled, "She did more than fear the Black Beast, she began to fear that you would become it. All very natural—any individual that has dealings with you would. But for her to fear it, is for her to will it." She sighed and looked up at Noel. "Until you can reign in your fear, neither of you can ever use the great power you've finally come to control. Noel has too much influence over the fabric of our reality, and we risk the Black Beast being truly unleashed upon the world."

Kokonoe nodded, her expression less severe and more worried. "Noel, when you're in that form, you're the Eye again. You can Observe. And what's worse is, you can do more than just Observe, you can Declare. What you perceive becomes our reality."

Noel glanced around at everyone in the room, ending at Ragna. "I...I'm...s-sorry..." Tears welled up in her eyes, "I..." Her beloved looked back at her and reached out, his arm alight with soreness and tried to wipe away her tears, but she was just out of reach. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I was just...scared..."

Ragna's arm fell limp and he dragged it back onto his chest to rest. "Don't blame you. Lookit me. Anybody'd be 'fraid of me for bein' that...thing." He stared at the ceiling and closed his eyes.

Kokonoe threw Rachel a sharp, knowing look and stormed from the room. "We'll fill you in with the rest when you've both had a chance to rest up more. Rachel, out."

The vampire gave Kokonoe a disdainful look and swept out of the room. "Were this not a rare example of tact on your behalf, I would have stayed. Consider it a blessing. Cats are not known for tact." The scientist rolled her eyes and followed.

Noel slunk out of her bed and curled up next to Ragna, who obliged by scooting to the side. She sobbed softly into his chest, and said simply, "I'm sorry Ragna." He opened a red eye and patted her head. Slowly, he came to a stop and looked at his arm.

His eyes burned.

* * *

Kokonoe strode into the primary infirmary to check in on Jin and Tsubaki; the sight of Jin sitting up in his bed surprised her. "Surprising. I didn't expect you to be sitting up for another few days. How's your spine treating you?"

With a grunt of exertion, Jin sat up straighter and scowled. "Painful, but far better than it was.. "I should be able to walk in a few days at most."

Kokonoe let out a hollow laugh, "If by walk you mean 'hobble slowly' then yes, maybe in a few days, but you're far from fighting condition, much less regular walking condition you idiot." She took some medical charts from an attendant nurse and perused them. "Have to say though, I should use samples from your spinal tissue. Enormously high healing rate when it comes to shock. A bit too high actually..." She ran her eyes across the charts. Her brow furrowed and she looked up at Jin with confusion. "Something is desperately wrong with your nervous system Jin. And I mean _desperately._"

Beside him, Tsubaki looked up in alarm; the bandages about her eyes remained, but her lack of sight had greatly attuned her other senses over the past few days and made the distinct tone of worry in Kokonoe's voice all the more pressing. "What's wrong? What's happening to it?"

Kokonoe looked to the nurse. "Get him into surgery. I want a tissue sample from his spinal cord." She picks up a small device from a nearby cabinet and pulls Jin forward to slide it down his spine. It beeps loudly and something lights up on it's display. "Well Jin, there is definitely something up with your spine. And part of it, or maybe all of it, is seithr related. The readings on this thing are way above normal for anyone, even if they've spent a year or two living in the lowest levels." She pulled the lollipop from her mouth and twirled it before looking at a nurse. "Get me that sample."

Jin emerged from surgery, still sitting in his gurney, bandages wrapped around his midsection. He turned a dead stare at Kokonoe as she entered the room again. "What? Did you find something of interest?"

Kokonoe rifled through the test results, face bleaching with each page turn. "You could say that. Jin, what the hell is wrong with your nervous system?" She called over a nurse and in hurried whispers asked for a number of instruments. Within minutes, the nurse had returned with a cart in tow, several pieces of machinery adorning it. Without a word, Kokonoe turned on the device, its appearance similar to an EKG machine, and hooked up Jin to it, several probes attached to the back of his neck. Loud, alarming beeps flood the room and Kokonoe's face became, if possible, grimmer. "Jin, you're got seithr poisoning. A fair bit of it is concentrated in your spine, but..." She pulled and replaced the probes to dot them along Jin's head. "A lot of it is also concentrated in your frontal lobe. What the hell happened? Seithr poisoning in your _head and spine_ is enormously rare and doesn't occur except for really crazy circumstances."

Jin gave Kokonoe a piercing look, and his eyes betrayed the vaguest hints of worry. "What kind of circumstances?" he asked calmly.

Kokonoe crossed her arms and frowned. "Direct seithr manipulation is really the only way to get poisoning in such a sensitive area. Experimentation with seithr would be an example, but I don't think you've ever been experimented on. Have you?" Her concern only grew when he shook his head in denial. "Then what could have happened..." Her foot drummed an impatient staccato in the quite room before she spun about and left. "I've got some work to do, just focus on bed rest and keep Tsubaki company. Nurse, give her eyes a quick check-up and just forward me the results" The doors swung to a slow close behind her coat-tails and the nurse nodded.

No one but Ragna knew why the poison coursed through his spine, and Kokonoe did not have a mind to ask him yet.

* * *

Kokonoe happened upon a scene she was determined to believe existed solely to make her feel uncomfortably upset. The marks of dried tears adorned Noel's face, impressing upon her an even more miserable expression that her bloodshot eyes did nothing to soften. Sitting directly beside her was a defeated Ragna, his grimoire-arm clenching and unclenching idly; his eyes stared holes into it, every so often flickering around the room before they settled back on it. "Jeez, you two are just radiating depression, you know that?" The brave stab at humor elicited no response other than a barely audible grunt from Ragna. With a heavy sigh, she sank into a nearby chair and looked at the unhappy couple. "Look, I know what happened back there. Noel panicked and started to turn Ragna into the Beast. But this doesn't mean we should give up. We can work through this, and we have to if we want to stand a chance against that bastard."

Ragna regarded Kokonoe for a moment and then said, defeated, "Tch. Yeah. How do you expect us to get over this bump? Noel is gonna be worried about me the entire time we're ascended and in a flash Terumi will be the least of our problems."

Kokonoe shook her head, a scowl etching across her face. "This doesn't sound a lot like the Ragna I know. You'd be jumping at any opportunity to tear that bastard's head off." With any luck, a hair-trigger temper would be enough to rouse him.

It was. Ragna jumped from his bed and towered over Kokonoe, face fierce. "Listen, I want this bastard as dead as you do, but I don't think you understand. If I turn into the Black Beast, we're done for. You wanna tell me how we're going to avoid that? You got some magical way of making Noel not be terrified of me turning into that thing?" His eyes flashed as he bared teeth down at her. "I'd sure as fuck like to hear whatever you've got up your sleeve to make this shit work."

A vein in Kokonoe's forehead throbbed. "Listen, you idiot. The only way for Noel to get over this is to keep at it. We have to ascend you two again. If it means knocking you out once more, then we'll keep doing it until she stops being so worried about you turning into the Beast." She sighed in exasperation and leaned against a wall, tapping her foot. "This form is the only way we'll be able to defeat that bastard, and I can't have both of you getting mopey on me just because this happened."

Ragna's face curled into a snarl. "Don't you understand what this could cause bitch? You wanna risk everyone's life just to take out Terumi? Just tell Noel to stop being worried, see where that gets you." He stepped aside and held his arms out in her direction. "Go ahead, see where the fuck that's going to get you."

Kokonoe drew herself off the wall and walked past Ragna in a huff. "Fine. Asshole. Noel, what do you think? You wanna get over this shit?" This was the worst, most abrupt means of trying to get the couple to keep trying, and she feared if Noel said no, all hope would be lost.

Noel looked up at the two, a pained expression on her face and mumbled, "I...I don't know. I'm scared. Ragna...I don't want you to become that thing..."

Ragna's expression softened somewhat, but hardened once more when he took note of Kokonoe's stern glare. Noel continued, words gathering strength as she spoke. "But Kokonoe's right. We have to keep fighting. If we don't then who will? Jin and Tsubaki are hurt, Makoto and Carl can't fight Terumi alone and neither can Tager. Even Rachel can't fight him. It's all up to us." She drew her arms up to her chest and shivered. "And it hurts to know that."

* * *

**A long wait. I could never apologize enough, but I'm sorry for the delay. A great many factors delayed me, and may continue to delay me. My muse is alive once more though, so perhaps it won't be quite so long a wait this time.**

**Thank you for your determined patience and devotion to Crimson Azure. I apologize for the brevity of the chapter.**


End file.
